Forbidden fruit
by Sandy1983
Summary: Damon is friends with Grayson Gilbert. When he meets his daughter Elena, sparks fly. Considering the age difference and the fact that she is his friend's daughter, he tries to fight the pull every step of the way. Will he succeed in keeping her at bay?
1. Chapter 1

Forbidden fruit

**Another story! So I know I already have two other stories up, but if I focus too much on one story, I tend to get blocked. So the updates will switch between these stories now. It depends on what mood I'm in :P I really hope you enjoy this one as well.**

First meetings

From the moment she walked in, Damon Salvatore knew he was screwed.

She was by far the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He took in her long brown locks, her haunting chocolate eyes and those legs.. He could tell she was very young, and yet she already had legs that most women would kill for.

Damon swallowed harshly as he noticed how short her pencil skirt was. It brought out her behind perfectly. And she was wearing a V-top that showed the beginning of the swell of her probably exquisite breasts.

She caught him looking, and smiled sweetly at him.

He was definitely screwed! And then she called his best friend 'Daddy'. O hell!

"Hey, sweetheart! What brings you by?" Grayson Gilbert asked his gorgeous daughter.

Damon pretended to be wrapped up in work, leafing through files furiously. But his eyes kept wandering back over to her. THIS was Elena Gilbert? The scrawny looking girl his best friend had showed him pictures of?

This was definitely no scrawny girl! This was a woman. How old had Grayson said she was again? Sixteen? O hell!

Back to work, Damon! Back to work! He tried to focus on one of his patient's charts.

He had begun working here at this hospital a year ago. The trauma unit of Mystic Falls Hospital had paid him big bucks to be on their staff. He had still been very new at this, and Grayson Gilbert took him in. He showed him around, taught him a thing or two and introduced him to Mystic Falls' Finest. They became instant friends.

Grayson had told him everything about his family, showing him pictures and telling funny stories about the children growing up.

But nothing could have prepared Damon for the vision that stood a few feet away from him now. How could Grayson have such a beautiful daughter? And why was he attracted to said daughter? It was wrong on so many levels!

"Damon, would you like to meet my daughter?" Grayson shook him out of his reverie. Damon's head snapped up. Meet her? Hell no! He wanted to stay as far away from this little temptation as possible!

But he had no choice. He couldn't turn down his best friend, who looked up at his daughter with such a proud look on his face. Damon sighed and took a few steps forward, ready to be invaded by her.

"Damon, this is my daughter Elena. Elena, this is my co-worker and friend Damon," Grayson made the introductions.

Damon took hold of Elena's small hand.

The moment he touched her, it was like a bolt of lightening surged through him. He almost leapt back at the sensation.

"Nice to meet you, Damon" her husky voice said.

Damon almost groaned. His name sounded so sexy on her lips!

"Nice to meet you too."

He quickly dropped her hand, wanting his heart to stop thundering in his chest. His body wasn't supposed to react this way! This was his friend's daughter!

But she was absolutely stunning. His mind was already on overdrive, imagining what those luscious lips could do to him.

STOP THINKING ABOUT HER LIKE THAT!

He watched as Elena leaned forward, kissing her father on the cheek. Was it weird for him to be jealous of that move?

"I have to go now, daddy. See you at home."

She gave Damon one last smile, before turning around and walking away. Damon pretended very hard that he wasn't looking at her rear, swaying from left to right underneath her short skirt. When she disappeared around the corner, Damon let out a sigh of relief.

"So what did you think of her?" Grayson suddenly asked.

Damon's head snapped up at him. Had he noticed the sexual tension radiating from him in waves? Had he noticed the way he was mesmerized by her beauty?

Damon cleared his throat.

"She seemed nice enough," he answered vaguely.

Grayson broke out in a smile. "She is so great. I never have to worry about her. She's a straight A student. Has nice and normal friends. And she is always so sweet and polite towards other people. We raised her well. The only thing I might have to show some concern over, is the fact that her beauty attracts a lot of attention from the male species. As a father, I just like to keep her my sweet, innocent daughter. They would have to go through me!" he joked.

Damon almost choked. He was grateful that Grayson hadn't been able to read his erotic thoughts about his daughter, then! Grayson would kill him!

"Doesn't she have a boyfriend?" he found himself asking.

Smooth, Damon! Real smooth!

Grayson shook his head. "Not at the moment. She did date this nice boy a while back. Matt Donovan. I guess we could have expected that to happen. They practically grew up together. But somehow it didn't work out. Elena said she saw him as too much of an old friend to feel romantically about him. It's a pity. Now that guy I actually liked. He was so polite. And he grew up around me, so I knew where he was coming from. I trusted him. Now I have to worry about my sweet lamb, getting jumped by lions. Have you noticed what a world it is out there these days?"

Damon swallowed with great difficulty. Yep, he understood where Grayson was coming from. Men just wanted to get in her pants. And he was one of them….

**Elena's POV**

Elena Gilbert sagged against the wall of the elevator, breathing harshly. THAT had been her father's best friend? The one he talked about all the time? The great Damon Salvatore?

He was a god!

Even standing there in his doctor's uniform, she noticed how rippled his body was. He was drop dead gorgeous!

And those eyes… O god, those eyes were so blue she wanted to drown in them!

It certainly wasn't proper to think about her father's friend like that. He was older than her. Too old, her father would say. She guessed he was about halfway through his thirties.

And she was sixteen. The great Damon Salvatore probably thought she was still a kid! And of course it didn't help matters that her father had introduced her as a kid. His kid. Elena had felt so embarrassed!

There was just NO way that her father's best friend would see her any differently now. She was a teenager. He would never see her as a woman.

It was a pity. For some reason, she never felt attracted to boys her own age. They acted so childish. She wanted a real man! A man that understood what she wanted, what she needed.

She had tried to date her best friend, who had been in her life for years. She wanted to try and find out if there could ever be anything more between them. But it was a bust. She never felt passionate about him. He didn't make her heart flutter. He didn't make her nervous. He didn't make her ache for sex. Not the way Damon Salvatore just did!

One look at him, and she was hooked. The touch of his hand had ignited a fire in her, so wild and hot, that she had felt herself become aroused instantly. She craved him. She yearned for him in a way, no-one had ever made her feel. And he was off limits.

He would probably laugh in her face, if he ever found out about her feelings. And judging by his age and incredible looks, he probably already found someone to warm his bed at night. She guessed it was some hot blonde, with the looks of a super model.

She could dream all she wanted, but Damon Salvatore would never be hers. There were too many things in her way with this one. There was the age difference, and the fact that her father would never allow it.

She had to forget about him.

She had to forget about his raven locks, the hot stubble on his chin, his sexy body.. Elena bit her lip. Yeah, like that was going to happen! He had already gotten under her skin. He made her burn for him.

Maybe she could find some excuses to go see her father at the hospital. Maybe he would be there, then. Maybe…. Yeah, and maybe pigs would fly too!

She sighed as she arrived at home, throwing her keys on the table.

She was cranky. Damon Salvatore had made her incredibly sexually frustrated. And he was never going to help her relieve it.

Stomping up the stairs, she decided that a cold shower might be the best way to go. She went into her room, throwing her clothes on her bed.

She then walked into her bathroom, turning on the shower. She made sure it wasn't too warm. She needed to cool down a bit.

Stepping under the spray, her body shivered with the lukewarm water. Goose-bumps appeared on her skin and her nipples hardened. But she wasn't going to turn up the heat.

She grabbed her luffah and sponged up.

She started getting used to the cold temperature, relaxing a bit under the jets of water pounding down on her. Her luffah glided over her long legs, going upwards towards her belly. Finally it rested on her breasts.

Elena circled her nipples for a second, her mind taking over. She imagined Damon's hands being the sponge. Her eyes fell shut as the luffah stroked her skin, going down again. It inched closer and closer to were she really wanted it.

Elena leaned one hand against the wall, while the other let the sponge slide between her legs. She pressed down against her folds for a second, causing a gasp to escape her lips.

She started rubbing the sponge up and down as it began to feel really good. She leaned her forehead against the shower wall, breathing harshly.

"Damon," she whispered.

Her legs started trembling with the effort of holding herself upright. She was rubbing the sponge frantically now. She was so close.

And then it happened. She pressed down on her clit, which sent her flying. Her legs almost buckled as bursts of pleasure shot through her. A loud moan escaped her, which made her grateful for the fact that nobody of her family was home yet.

She dropped the sponge and leaned against the shower wall heavily. Her heart was pounding in her ears.

Shit, she just fantasized about Damon Salvatore while.. Damn!

She really needed to forget about him…..

**What did you think of this one? Did you like it? And will Damon and Elena succeed at fighting each other? Fighting what is happening between them. And what will happen if Elena's father finds out? **

**Please review! And let me know if you want me to continue this :) **

**Follow me for info about the story: /#!/Sandy1983b**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, I was so overwhelmed by the many reviews I received for this story. Thank you all so much! I'm glad you like it, and want me to continue. So here is another chapter..**

Chapter 2

"Damon, over here!"

Damon scanned the crowded bar, looking for the familiar sounding voice of his friend. It didn't take long to find him.

Grayson was sitting on a barstool, nursing a delicious looking beer. He could use one of those!

Quickly making his way through the crowd, he sat down next to his pal and ordered one of the same.

"Took you long enough," Grayson joked, while he clinked his beer bottle with Damon's.

Damon sighed.

"One of those days. You definitely know how that is," he mumbled.

He and Grayson had talked at work about getting together for a drink after. Something they did on a regular basis. Every two weeks, they would come here to Joe's bar for a nice time out.

Damon took a long swig from his beer bottle. He definitely needed a time out now. Ever since he had laid eyes on his friend's beautiful daughter, he hadn't been able to concentrate.

He felt guilty towards Grayson, for even thinking about Elena like that. If his friend knew about the images that sometimes flashed through his brain, Grayson would have his head!

The friendship would definitely be over. And that wasn't something that Damon wanted. He valued it a great deal.

Because of his hectic lifestyle as a surgeon, he rarely ever had time for friends. He was always at the hospital. Working night shifts, working weekends, working through holidays. That was why it came in handy that Grayson was in the same position. They were often working at the same time. With him, there was never any whining and bitching about not being able to make it because of work.

So losing him as a good friend was not an option. Therefore, Elena was not an option.

He just needed to find himself another woman for some relief. He had been alone for way too long. Maybe that was his problem. He was just sexually frustrated.

"I know being a surgeon can be a little hectic sometimes. So yeah, I get what you mean. Fortunately for me, when I come home I get pampered by my hot wife. You know, it's nice, having a family," Grayson sighed.

Damon almost gritted his teeth.

"Rub it in, man! Rub it in," he said crankily.

Grayson started laughing.

"Maybe if you wouldn't go through women, like you go through underwear… That might help, you know!"

Damon finished off his beer in one go and ordered another.

He shrugged his shoulders. "That's all I have time for, Gray. I'm always at the hospital. I don't have time for relationships. You're just lucky you hooked up with Miranda before med school."

Grayson positively started glowing.

"Yeah, she is pretty great huh? I'm very lucky."

"That you are," Damon said.

Grayson's eyes fell on something behind Damon.

"Maybe you'll get lucky tonight, too," he winked at his friend. He cocked his head towards what had drawn his attention.

Damon frowned at his words and looked over his shoulder to see what he meant.

A few feet away from him sat a woman that was definitely checking him out.

The woman had short brown hair, a nice face and was dressed in a provocative way. Her breasts were practically on display in her tight top. It was obvious she wanted to get picked up tonight.

She smiled as she saw he had noticed her.

"So, what do you say?" Grayson asked him with a grin.

Damon winked at the woman.

"O, I'm definitely in!"

The woman took the hint and sauntered over his way, her hips swaying from left to right.

She stopped behind him, placing her hand on his shoulder and leaning over to whisper something in his ear.

"What's a sexy guy like you doing in a dump like this?" her sultry voice breathed.

Damon grinned. This was almost too easy!

"Enjoying the view," he flirted back.

The brazen woman sat down on the bar stool on the other side of him and leaned forward, showing him all of her goods.

"I'm Rose," she introduced herself.

"Damon."

Rose leaned forward even more, practically falling into his lap.

"Well, Damon.. How about you order me a drink."

Grayson got up from his barstool.

"Well, then that would be my cue to leave. Have a nice one, Salvatore!"

Damon shot a surprised look at him.

"You don't have to leave. Women don't come before friends, you know," he told Grayson.

Grayson patted his shoulder. "I know. But you need to blow off some steam. And you're not getting anywhere if your friend is constantly hanging around you. Really, it's no problem. We can have our man night another time. I'm going home to my hot wife."

Damon laughed at this.

"You do that. Say hello to Miranda for me."

"I will."

Damon focused his attention back on Rose, who was still waiting for her drink.

"So, what's your poison?" he asked her.

Rose smiled.

"I would like a sex on the beach," she said cockily.

Okay, she was a little too easy! But Grayson had been right. He really needed to blow off some steam. And Rose was willing and able. And best of all, she wasn't his best friend's daughter!

Damon turned towards the bartender, ordering Rose's poison.

When he turned back to her, ready to get back to the flirting, something caught his eye.

He almost groaned as he realised what it was.

Elena Gilbert had just walked in. And she was dressed to kill. Damon took in her impossibly tight, black dress, that ended just below her behind. She had curled her hair for the occasion and had applied just the right amount of make up. She looked smoking hot!

Grayson had let her go out like this? What the hell was he thinking? Practically every guy at the bar was drooling in his seat!

Hadn't Grayson said he wanted to keep her his sweet, innocent little lamb? Hadn't he said he wanted to keep the horny lions at bay? Well, he was doing a lousy job here!

"Damon? You okay?" he heard Rose asking.

O right! He had forgotten about Rose. Focus, Damon! Do not look at Elena Gilbert!

He tried. He really tried. But during Rose's incredibly boring story, his eyes kept wandering back over to Elena's sexy legs. They looked a mile long in her amazing dress. And when she and her blonde friend stepped out on the dance floor and started moving, he was a goner.

He watched her grind back and forth, swaying sensually to the music.

Unfortunately, his manhood noticed her too. It twitched in his jeans. Damon really didn't want it to happen. But his arousal grew at her sight.

He was going straight to hell for this!

Did she even realise what she was doing here? She was dancing way too provocative for his taste. He wasn't the only one looking here! What if some sleazy guy decided to walk up to her and put his mitts on her?

The moment that thought crossed his mind, it was already actually happening. Some washed up jock slithered his way over to her.

Damon gritted his teeth as he watched the sleaze put the moves on her.

And Elena was buying it. She smiled up at him in a way that made Damon wish it was directed at him. Of course, he immediately scolded himself for the thought. If she ever would look up at him in that way, he was doomed. So a part of him hoped she never would. But then again, the semi hard on in his jeans might think otherwise.

Damon's jaw clenched as the jock started dancing with Elena. He kept his distance at first, but soon enough his meaty hands started wandering. They crept over her the beautiful skin of her arms, slowly going down. Finally they rested just above the swell of her behind.

Damon was fuming now, and almost jumped out of his seat to rip the guy off of her. But he knew he would make a spectacle of himself if he did. He didn't really know her that well. He was friends with her father. To her, he probably was some old guy her father liked to hang out with. If he stepped in now, she would probably think he was a weirdo!

"Damon, are you listening?" he heard the shrill and suddenly irritating voice of Rose ask him.

His head snapped back towards her.

"I'm sorry. I got a little distracted. I'm all ears now, baby," he tried to flirt. But it felt wrong. Before Elena walked in, he had been all too willing to leave with the woman that sat next to him at the bar. But now, he wasn't so sure.

Holy hell, did that jerk just buy Elena a beer? Did he not know that the girl was underage?

Damon was sure that Grayson would filet the mongrel if he saw what was happening here. Maybe he should step in. He would be doing his friend a favour. He was just looking out for his daughter.

Yep, keep telling yourself that, Damon!

The decision was made when the horny bastard pulled Elena hard against him. Damon flew from his seat, and strode over to them with sure steps.

"Hey!"he heard Rose yell behind him.

He didn't care anymore. That girl could go home alone tonight. He needed to save Elena.

He walked up behind the sleaze, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Leave!" he ordered as soon as the boy turned around.

The boy got an arrogant look on his face and crossed his arms.

"Sir, I don't think this is any of your business!"

Elena turned to look at who interrupted them. As soon as she laid eyes on him, her eyes went wide.

"Damon..,"she whispered in a breathy voice.

Damon almost groaned. Her voice was like liquid fire to him. But he needed to focus on the task at hand here.

He got up in the boy's face, making sure that he realised who was older and bigger here.

"If you don't get the fuck out of here right now, I'm going to inform the authorities you gave an under aged girl alcohol!" he snapped.

The idiot slumped a little, defeated, and turned to walk away.

"Fine, I'll leave. Stupid ass!"

Damon paid no attention to the gnat's stupid swearing. Instead he focused on Elena.

Unfortunately, her irritating blonde friend stepped in.

"Who the hell do you think you are? You're not our father! We were having fun here! What's it to you?"

Damon let out a growl. Before he could say anything, however, Elena intervened.

"Caroline! This is my father's best friend! He could go straight to him with his information!" she shushed the blonde.

Caroline visibly paled, causing Damon to smirk a little.

"Does your father know you're here?" he asked Elena.

Elena looked down guiltily.

"I told him I was going out, yes," she mumbled.

Damon narrowed his eyes at her.

"But I bet you never told him you were going to a bar, where they are serving beer to under aged girls," he guessed.

The way Elena was avoiding looking into his eyes told him all he needed to know. Grayson didn't have a clue that his precious, honest and well raised daughter had lied to him.

"You're not going to tell him, are you?" she squeaked.

She looked up at him with those doe eyes of her and he knew he couldn't refuse her anything. O hell!

"I won't say anything. If you go home now," was the deal he offered her. He was pretty proud of his solution. That way he wouldn't have to worry about the horny men in this bar anymore. He could relax in his bed, knowing her virtue was safe for tonight.

Elena nodded, accepting the deal.

"Okay, I'll go home now. Thank you for not saying anything," she whispered.

She grabbed hold of Caroline's arm, dragging her out of the bar.

Damon sauntered back over towards the bar, flopping down on one of the stools and placing his head in his hands.

A heavy sigh escaped him.

He had just behaved like a goddamn father to her! He would probably never get on her good side again. And that bothered him more then he would have liked….

**Elena's POV**

Elena flopped down on her bed, burying her face in the pillow.

What a nightmare tonight had been! Damon Salvatore, the object of many of her lustful fantasies, had caught her lying to her father. He had berated her like a child.

It was pretty clear to her now, that that was all he would ever think of her. A child. Her father's child.

When he stood in front of her at the bar, chasing that boy away, for a moment she thought he was doing it because he didn't like it that the boy was touching her. Her heart started hoping.

But his next words had crushed her.

He had asked if her father knew about her whereabouts. And it dawned on her that he was only doing this to help out his friend. He was just looking out for his daughter.

When she became monumentally disappointed at this, she realised what was happening here.

She was falling in love with her father's best friend…

**And the struggling continues. Damon and Elena try so hard to fight it! What will happen in the next chapter? When will they finally cave? Reviews really help me write faster. So I really hope that you click that button below ;) Thank you!**

**Sandy1983.**

**Follow me for info about the story: /#!/Sandy1983b**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 FF

_Damon felt the sheets being lifted. Cold air ghosted over his skin, but it was soon replaced by a warm and female body. _

_She pressed her naked breasts against him, which felt like heaven. He kept his eyes closed, wanting to savour just the feel of her. _

_Then she started to stroke her hand over the skin of his chest. She tickled down his abdomen, to stop at the waistband of his boxers. _

_Still keeping his eyes closed, the anticipation of her next touch was killing him. _

_Her head was lying on his chest, her breath caressing his right nipple. She was positively torturing him. _

_Her hand slipped into his boxers, but she didn't touch him yet. She stroked his powerful thighs, teased his pubic bone, but never touched him. _

_She turned her head a little, to place kisses right next to his nipple. She was carefully avoiding all places that were sensitive, but he already felt himself get hard. What was she doing to him?_

_Her hair felt like silk against his chest, every nerve ending aware of each sweep of it. _

_Without warning, her index finger trailed a path up and down his length. A hiss escaped him, causing her to chuckle. _

"_I knew you were awake," she whispered wantonly. _

_Damon's eyes snapped open, staring up at Elena Gilbert. The forbidden fruit. The girl he longed for, but could never have._

_She smiled seductively at him. _

"_Elena..,"he began to turn her down, but a sharp intake of breath interrupted him when her hand enclosed his shaft. _

"_Don't you want this?" she breathed in his ear._

_Her hand began pumping up and down. Fuck, that felt good! _

_His mind and body were fighting each other. His body desperately wanting her to finish what she started, but his mind was telling him it was wrong to do this. _

"_Elena, we can't!" he moaned, practically sounding as if he was in pain. She didn't pay him any attention, though. With a mischievous glint in her eyes, she began to wander south. She stopped when her head was in line with his throbbing member. _

_Her head leaned forward, and Damon found himself raising his head to see what she had in mind. Although it flopped back down on the pillow again, with her next move. She was placing tiny kisses along his length, right through his underwear. _

"_Elena..,"he sighed. He couldn't stop her. He WOULDN'T stop her. _

_She grabbed on to the waistband of his boxers, and began pulling it of. He raised his hips to help her._

_And then he found himself in nirvana, as her mouth engulfed him. At first just the head, but then she slid down. Agonizingly slow. _

_She came back up and swirled her tongue over the tip._

"_Naaahhh,"he mumbled. _

_She laughed around his member, the vibrations shooting straight through it. She was killing him here! _

_Her rhythm became faster, going up and down and sucking as she went. Damon latched onto her hair, thrusting up into her mouth._

_He felt himself coming closer towards that edge. Especially when she began to hum around him. _

_When she licked his tip again, he gave her a warning. _

"_Elena, I'm going to…"_

_She didn't mind, however. She just kept on going. _

"_Elena! O god, Elena! I'm..I'm…"_

_RING RING._

_Were his ears ringing now? Was she that good?_

_RING RING_

_Okay, what the hell was that annoying sound? It was distracting him of completion!_

_RING RING RIIIIIINNGGG_

Damon's eyes snapped open. He rubbed his eyes as he noticed he was in his own bed, alone. And there was this incessant ringing coming from his phone on the nightstand. Probably the thing that had woken him up. He looked at the display, to see who was calling him so early.

Fuck, Grayson Gilbert! Well, the man had impeccable timing! He was just having a sex dream about his daughter! Guilt immediately rose to the surface. Why was he so obsessed with her?

"Hello?" he yawned into the phone.

"Hey man, it's me. Sorry to call you so early. Did I wake you?" Grayson asked.

Damon sat up a little, coming face to face with his erection that was tenting the sheets. O man!

Yep, this was becoming a problem!

"Yeah, but it's no problem. What's up?" he told Grayson. He almost laughed at his own sentence about what was up. Well, something was definitely up!

He heard Grayson sigh irritated into the phone.

"My car's dead. Not a thing I can do about it. But I have to go to work in a few. I know you also had a shift this morning, so think that maybe you can drive me?"

Damon rubbed a hand over his face. Go over to his house? What if he ran into Elena?

But he couldn't turn down a friend in need. So he agreed.

"Sure, I'll be there in an hour."

"Thanks, bud."

Damon felt like a love struck teenager as he walked up to the front porch of the Gilbert house. His heart was pounding in his chest. It was FUCKING pounding!

He never had this problem before. He had walked up to this house dozens of times. But somehow he never ran into Elena Gilbert then. So who was to say he would run into her now? Maybe he was just overreacting. He would be just fine.

He was about to knock, when the front door flew open.

A whirlwind flew by him, almost knocking him over. A book bag fell to the ground, causing books to tumble onto the deck of the veranda. A loud groan could be heard.

It was her.

She immediately dropped to the ground to pick up the scattered books. He knelt down too, ready to help her. He collected books left and right. Her gaze never landed on his.

"I'm so sorry! I was in a hurry and didn't look where I was going. And then you.."

Her words died on her lips as she looked up at him. Damon froze too, lost in the hazel depths of her eyes.

"Damon," she whispered.

It sounded so breathy, that Damon had to stifle a groan. Why, WHY did she always say his name like that! She sounded as if she longed for him. And that was crazy! He just needed to focus on that.

He tore his gaze away from her and reached for a book. Unfortunately, she had the same idea in mind, and their fingers brushed up against each other.

It was electric. Damon felt little shocks shooting up his arm. He snatched his hand away, as if he had been burned. What the hell was happening here?

Elena stared at him, holding him captive in her eyes. He was lost.

They were just inches away from each other. Damon felt as if the air was humming around him. And then her gaze fell onto his lips.

Damon felt a surge of arousal passing through him, as she ran her tongue over her full, plump lips. Why was she doing that? She couldn't really be attracted to him, could she?

But here she was, leaning closer and closer. Damon felt his heart hammer in his chest now. He wanted to touch her with every fibre of his being.

Were they really going to do this?

She was so close now, he could feel her breath on his lips. It made his entire body shudder. Just a few more inches…

"Damon? Is that you?" Grayson Gilbert hollered from somewhere inside.

Damon immediately ripped himself away from Elena. Cranky about the fact that he had allowed himself to let her come this close, he began picking up the remaining books with a driving force. He shoved them in her book bag and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she said gratefully. She stared up at him expectantly.

Damon's jaw clenched as he nodded at her. His way of saying you're welcome. He wasn't sure his voice could be trusted at the moment. If his feelings could be trusted.

Great, now he was talking about feelings! Feelings for a 16 year old girl. It was insane! It was probably just lust. It would go away. It had to…

"Hey Damon, thanks for dropping by. You're a lifesaver!" Grayson said gratefully, as he appeared in the doorway. He frowned as he saw Damon and Elena in the doorway together.

"Elena? I thought you were already off to school?" he said.

Elena flushed a little.

"I was. I was running late and ran into Damon here. I dropped my books all over the deck. He was kind enough the help me," she explained.

"Well, that's nice of him. But off to school now. I don't want you missing anything," Grayson said sternly.

Elena nodded and kissed her father on the cheek.

"I'll see you tonight," she said to him.

She then turned and looked at Damon one last time.

"Bye Damon."

There was something in the way she looked at him. Something in the way she was saying it. His pulse accelerated. Somehow their seemed to be something underlying there. But he wasn't sure. Grayson didn't seem to notice, however.

Elena released his gaze and walked away, leaving Damon to wonder about what had just happened…

**Elena's POV**

Elena grinned to herself as she drove her car to school. She was sure now. There was something going on between her and Damon. She already knew she felt something. But now she was sure he felt something too. He didn't just see her as his friend's daughter, not with the way he looked at her on the front porch.

He had seen that she had been leaning in for a kiss. And he didn't stop her. And that was important. But did she really want to do this? Did she really want to chase her father's friend? An older man?

She couldn't walk away now. She had to know. She had to know what they could be like together. She had to know if it would be as great as she imagined it to be.

The gloves were coming off.

Damon Salvatore wouldn't know what hit him!

**Okay, so I know this was a little short and not a whole lot happened yet. But with Elena knowing now, it has blown everything wide open for them. Next chapter, she will pull out all the stops. So please hit that review button, and I will write a thundering next chappie for you! **

**Follow me for info about the story: /#!/Sandy1983b**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! I loved reading every single one of them. So I promised to have a longer chapter up this time, with a little more happening. Well, I hope this one will be more than pleasing!**

Chapter 4

Elena nervously tapped her foot, checking the front door every five seconds. Why wasn't he here yet? Her heart was thumping against her ribs as she realised her plan would never work if he wasn't going to participate. Was all this for nothing?

It was a brilliant plan, even if she said so herself. She NEEDED to spend some time with Damon. She needed to find out if she was able to seduce him. But since he was always at work, and her father always hung out with him else where, she needed to get him here. To her house.

The plan was simple. Her father was the only card she had to play when it came to Damon Salvatore. And she was now using it shamelessly.

It was her father's birthday today. Normally, Grayson would spend this day with his family. Opening presents and going out to dinner. It was the same thing every year. Elena decided it was time for a change. She convinced her father that it wasn't every year that he turned forty, so a party was in order.

Her father had balked at the idea first. He didn't do parties! But Elena begged and pleaded until he finally relented. "Just a small party then. With only family and close friends I care about," Grayson had said.

Since Damon fit into that category, Elena was fine with that. The less people that came between her and Damon, the better. So a small party was perfect.

Elena stared at the people that had already arrived. Her Aunt Jenna and Uncle John were there. And this young couple that her parents always hung out with, Stefan and Lexi. And then there was family friend Alaric Saltzman. Damon was the only other person her father had invited. And he still hadn't arrived.

Elena began to feel frustrated. She went out of her way to get this organized! Getting her father to agree to a small party wasn't easy! Convincing her mother to let HER organize the seating at the dinner table wasn't a walk in the park either. But she had pulled it off. Damon would be sitting right next to her.

And now he wasn't coming. She felt like crying as she checked the front door again. No man had ever made her go through this much trouble!

She checked out her attire in the mirror that hung in the hallway. Her father hadn't liked the dress she was wearing.

"That's not a dress!" he had said.

Elena had shrugged her shoulders.

"Calvin Klein says it is!"

"It's a piece of cloth!"

Yep, Grayson really wasn't happy with it.

It was short and red. With a halter top in the front and a low cut back. Really low. It left her back completely exposed. She looked hot, even if she said so herself. She had curled her hair and put on a nice amount of make up. Nobody would think she was 16 now.

Her father had grumbled and bitched about it, but since they weren't going out, he had given in to his headstrong daughter. She was NOT taking off this dress. Unless Damon was doing it for her!

"Elena, could you please engage a bit? Why are you hanging around the hallway? If you got nothing better to do, you could help me with some horse d'hoeuvres,"her mother interrupted her thoughts.

Elena sighed and followed her mother into the kitchen. This was SO not going how she wanted things to go!

"Here. You could carry this plate into the living room for me."

Elena took the plate wordlessly from her mother and stepped out of the kitchen again. And that's when she saw him.

Her father had just opened the front door and Damon Salvatore stepped in, carrying a smile on his face. He gave her father a friendly pat on the back and congratulated him.

And then his eyes found hers…

His eyes almost bulged out of his head when he saw her. He took in her appearance and she could tell he liked what he saw. He did his best to hide it, of course. He quickly averted his gaze towards her father. But from the corner of his eye he was watching her.

Elena smiled to herself and put a little extra sway in her hips, as she carried the plate of snacks into the living room.

"Horse d'hoeuvre?"she asked pointedly, as she stepped in front of HIM.

She immediately felt the tension radiating off of him in waves. His entire body went rigid and his jaw tensed. Her father never noticed however, and smiled at his daughter.

"Thank you, Elena," Grayson said.

Both her father and Damon took a piece off of her plate and carried on their conversation. Damon never even acknowledged her presence.

For god's sake, he was ignoring her! Fuming, she quickly offered the other guests a piece and stormed into the kitchen.

Well okay then, she just had to up the stakes a little. Let's see him trying to ignore her, when they were sitting next to each other at the dinner table!

Half an hour later, dinner was set.

Elena happily slid into her seat, right next to Damon. His eyes flew to hers, but he quickly recovered. He immediately began conversation with Lexi, who was seated on the other side of him. Well, fuck that! She didn't go through all this trouble, just to have him talking to every person but her!

She waited until he looked away from Lexi for a second. Then she grabbed her chance.

"Damon?" she began.

She put her hand on his arm to get his attention and enjoyed the little shocks coursing through her body at just the touch of him. His beautiful blue eyes focused on her hand for a second. Then he looked up at her and Elena continued.

"You know, you've been friends with my father for about a year now. And yet I only met you a few weeks ago. I realise I don't know that much about you. Tell me a little something about yourself. Are you married?"

She knew she was fishing here. She knew he wasn't married. But she had to know if he was somehow seeing someone.

Damon shook his head.

"Nope, not married. Not even time for a girlfriend. I spend a lot of time at the hospital," he explained.

Elena silently rejoiced in her seat. So no girlfriend. That left things wide open for her.

She smiled sweetly at him.

"So what made you want to be a doctor?" she carried on.

Damon got a bit of a sad look on his face, and Elena wondered if she asked the wrong question. But he took a deep breath and answered anyway.

"I lost my parents when I was in my late teens. I watched the doctors try to save their lives. It was a lost cause. After that, I vowed to become a doctor. So I could make a difference and save people," he explained.

Elena felt shocked. He lost his parents as a teenager? That must have been rough! And then to get himself through med school on his own. She had some newfound respect for this man.

"I'm so sorry, Damon," she whispered.

Damon smiled at her.

"It's okay. It was a long time ago."

He then turned back to face Grayson, who sat opposite from him and just asked him something. Damn it! Damn her father!

This was such a bust!

**Damon's POV**

Damn, she looked sexy! From the moment he walked in, he could not keep his eyes off of her. He tried his best to hide it, of course. He almost choked on his drink, when he saw her bare back. It was so flawless, he wanted to run his hands over it.

Immediately berating himself for these bad thoughts, he decided that the best approach for the night was to ignore her. He was here for Grayson's birthday. It wouldn't go over well to be lusting after his daughter all night.

But she was making it damn hard! Pun intended! When she sat down next to him at the dinner table, he could barely focus on what was being said next to him by..what was her name again? Lexi?

His body was so aware of her presence, he needed to take a few calming breaths. And then she had put her hand on his arm. Couldn't she see what that was doing to him?

Talking about his parents with her had seemed so natural to him. He never told people why he became a doctor. But she got it out of him.

Right now, however, she seemed sad about something. She was practically pouting at the dinner table. But he couldn't really pinpoint what it was.

"Anyone want to join us for a birthday toast in the living room?" Miranda cheerfully said.

Damon got up from his seat, following the crowd. He looked over his shoulder to see that Elena stayed behind. She sat at the dinner table all by herself. She looked defeated.

"Damon, you coming?" he heard Grayson say from the living room.

Damon looked at Elena one last time before joining the rest of the party…

"Well, thank you so much for coming, Damon! It was nice talking to you again," Miranda said, as he was getting ready to leave the party.

Damon smiled at her.

"Yeah, you too. We really need to do this again sometime."

He hugged Miranda and gave Grayson a pat on the back.

"Enjoy being forty, man. See you at work tomorrow."

Damon felt a little off that he hadn't seen Elena anymore for the rest of the evening. According to Gray, she had been doing dishes with her brother Jeremy in the kitchen. But still, she had seemed so sad at the dinner table. He couldn't help but wonder what was up.

He stepped out onto the front porch of the Gilbert house. He was getting ready to leave when he saw her, sitting on a bench on said porch. She was staring at the floor and looked as if someone had just killed her puppy.

Damon froze. Should he go talk to her?

Well he certainly couldn't leave her like this!

Ignoring his fluttering heart, he walked up to her and sat down next to her. She never looked up.

"I know you don't know me that well. But you seem a little sad. Do you want to talk about it?" he asked nervously.

"No," she flat out told him. She still wouldn't look at him.

Damon's face fell. Of course she didn't want to talk to him. He was her father's friend.

"Okay then, sorry to bother you."

He was starting to get up, when she stopped him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude," she apologized.

Finally she looked up at him. Her doe brown eyes staring right into his. Damon felt so awestruck by her beauty. The moment lasted long. Too long. They could not let go of each others gaze.

A shiver ran through her.

"Are you cold?" Damon asked.

Elena bit her lip and nodded. "A little."

Damon took off his jacket and wrapped it around her slender shoulders, his fingertips grazing her skin in the process. It felt so good to touch her. So natural. He found himself leaning into her a little bit.

Another shiver ran through her.

"Are you still cold?" he frowned.

Elena smiled a little mischievously.

"It's not because of the cold," she whispered seductively.

Damon's heart almost jumped out of his chest at her words. Did she just..? Was she coming on to him? No, that couldn't be! And yet she slid a bit closer to him, their thighs touching each other.

Damon felt his throat becoming dry. His heart was pummelling in his chest like a freight train now. He hadn't felt this way since he was a teenager!

_This is wrong, Damon! So wrong!_

The words were droning in his head. But with every inch that she came closer, he couldn't bring himself to care. For weeks, he had longed for her. He had dreamed about her. She drove him crazy.

He had to know. He had to know what she felt like. What she tasted like. His entire body was screaming out for her. And she felt it too. He saw it in her eyes.

She leaned closer and closer.

And then it happened.

Damon felt his mind explode as her lips touched his. Softly at first. It was just a little nip. But it blew the gates wide open and all his pent up feelings burst through. His hand slid up to her face, cupping it. His thumb stroking her cheek.

The kiss deepened. There was no stopping it.

When Damon's tongue came in contact with hers, he heard her let out a soft moan. The sound shot straight to his groin, causing it to harden.

This was better than any dream he ever had. Better than all the fantasies.

She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. She practically crawled into his lap. Fuck, this felt good!

His hand slid up her thigh, but then he remembered they were sitting on a front porch. Of his best friend's house. And he was kissing said best friend's daughter.

It made him pull away, breathing hard.

He rubbed his hands over his face, trying not to look at the fact that her lips were swollen from his kisses. That her cheeks were flushed with arousal.

This could cost him. He just kissed his best friend's daughter. A sixteen year old girl. This could become really ugly.

Damon felt a little scared at all the facts invading his mind. But what scared him the most, was the realisation that this wasn't just lust. It was love…..

**First of all, the scene with the argument about the dress between Elena and her father was inspired by a movie called 'Clueless'. You may recognise it. I thought it fit well in here.**

**Secondly, the kiss happened. Finally. So what now? How will Damon and Elena go from here? Will Damon chicken out, or will he choose to be with her? **

**Hit that review button, and you'll find out soon! Thank you!**

**Sandy1983.**

**Follow me for info about the story: /#!/Sandy1983b**


	5. Chapter 5

Chappie 5 FF

**Author's note: Before I continue with this story, I would just like to say something. I understand that this story is controversial, due to the age difference and Elena being underage. Believe me, I get it. What I don't get, is how someone can start calling me names in a review, because of the story's content. I am not a robot. I am a human being, that has feelings. If you don't like this story, leave it alone. Don't read it. And if you want to worry about age difference, here is one for you: Elena was 17 (underage) when she slept with Stefan. He was 160 + years. How is THAT for age difference? That being said, I will continue this for the readers that DO like this, and were kind enough to leave me nice reviews. This one is for you.**

Damon swallowed hard at the silence that continued to fill the air after the kiss. He needed to say something here. He could feel that she was staring at him, waiting for his thoughts. She had a worried frown on her face.

The point was, he didn't really know what to say. He was still reeling from everything. He needed to think this over.

He raised his head to look at her. Elena looked at him hopefully and was searching his face for answers. Answers he didn't have at the moment. But still, something needed to be said here.

"We need to talk," was the first thing to make it out of his mouth. It sounded more harshly then he intended. He watched her face fall with disappointment.

And then the front door opened, interrupting everything that was about to be said. He would have to leave her hanging.

"Damon? I thought you went home? Elena? What are you doing out on the front porch?" Grayson questioned them.

Elena took a deep breath and looked her father right in the eye.

"I was just out for some fresh air, when I ran into Damon here. We talked. No biggie," she explained.

Her father scanned both of their faces, making Damon a little scared. Could he tell? Could he tell that they just kissed? Had someone from inside seen something?

Okay, he needed to calm himself the fuck down here! If he started acting all fidgety, Grayson was bound to pick up on something.

"Well, come inside, sweetie. It's cold out here. Damon, I will see you on Monday."

Elena followed her father inside, but right before the door closed, she gave him one last lingering look.

Damn! This girl would be the death of him…

**Elena's POV**

Elena's heart was pounding in her throat as she stood in front of the door that led to HIS apartment. It was pretty easy to locate. All thanks to her father's address book.

She had woken up this morning with a plan. She needed to talk to him. She needed to know where he stood on this. But because she didn't know where he lived, or what his cell phone number was, she had to be resourceful. So she had taken a peek in her father's address book. And sure enough, there it was.

Damon Salvatore – 123 Wickery Road.

She told her parents she was going over to Caroline's, called Caroline to ask her to cover for her and drove over here.

And now here she was.

All of a sudden, she wasn't so sure that this was a good idea anymore. What if this was way too forward? What if he didn't appreciate her coming over to his place?

Well, it was too late now. She was already here. And she had to know.

She straightened her shoulders, took a deep breath and knocked on his door. The sound was echoing loudly in her ears, due to her nerves getting the best of her. Her legs felt like jell-o. Her heart was just about jumping out of her chest and her hands were shaking.

It took a while for the front door to open. Elena was just beginning to think that he had stepped out for the day, when the door finally unlocked.

Elena almost dropped her purse as she took in Damon's appearance. Apparently she had woken him up. It was quite clear that he just came out of bed. His jet black hair was tousled. His eyes were sleepy. But it was the sight of him in nothing but his boxers, that left her gasping for breath.

Her eyes roved over his naked chest and she swallowed. Hard.

As soon as Damon caught on who was standing in front of his door, his eyes widened. Elena saw him become really aware of his state of undress.

"Elena?" he whispered hoarsely.

Damn, no one was this sexy when they woke up! But Damon was.

"What are you doing here?" he wanted to know.

Questioning again if this was the right thing to do, Elena shivered with nerves.

_Come on, Elena! Grow a backbone. Get yourself in there!_

She nervously bit her lip and looked up at him from under her lashes.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

Damon ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"Fine. Just let me go grab a pair of pants, though," Damon said. He turned around and headed straight to the bedroom, leaving Elena to come in herself. She closed the door behind her and sat down on his couch, putting her purse at her feet.

When Damon came back out, he was still looking very sleepy, but at least he was wearing pants and a shirt. So she wouldn't get distracted.

He sat down opposite from her in a chair and waited for her to say something.

"Sorry I woke you," Elena began.

Damon smiled a little.

"That's okay. So why are you here?"

Elena's heart started pounding again, pumping painfully against her ribs. Where to start? What to say? She had it all figured out this morning. But having it actually happening was a different story.

"I wanted to talk about last night,"she threw out there.

There, she had said it! She watched Damon squirm a little. Yep, this was going to be an awkward conversation!

Damon got up from his seat and started pacing.

"It can never happen again, Elena," he pointed out.

Elena felt as if he just stabbed a knife through her heart. What did he mean, it could never happen again? She had just begun to feel hope last night. Was he taking that away again?

He stopped in front of her and knelt down. He took her hands in his and started to explain.

"For starters, I am 32. You're 16."

"I am going to be seventeen in two months," she squeaked, interrupting him.

Damon smiled at her outburst, but carried on anyway.

"That's not the point, Elena. The point is, that you're underage. The point is, that I am friends with your father. Do you know what he would do to me, if he found out? Do you think he is just going to be okay with this?"

Elena felt the tears in her eyes begin to burn. He was turning her away.

"Your father helped me become the surgeon I am today. He made me. He could also break me. He could destroy my career if we carried on with this. He could destroy my reputation. He could make sure I'll never work at a hospital again for as long as I live. And on top of that, he could file a lawsuit against me. Is it worth that risk, Elena?"

Damon looked deep into her eyes as Elena felt the tears threatening to spill. For the first time in her life she was feeling things she had never felt before. And it was over before it had even begun.

She started feeling herself get mad. It was delusional, she knew that. But she had to vent out.

"So I'm not worth it! Is that it? I'm not worth the risk?" she snapped.

Damon's face fell.

"You know that's not…"

"You don't even want to know if we could BE something together? If we could work. You're just going to toss me aside, before we even got started? You're a coward, Damon!"

Elena got up from her seat, ready to leave the apartment. She was making a fool of herself here! Damon's arm shot out to stop her before she made it to the front door. He turned her around, making her face him.

"Don't be like this. I'll admit that I feel something for you. But it's not right. I can't act on it," he said desperately.

Elena's heart almost stopped at his words. He admitted it! He felt something! If she could just get him to stop fighting.

She put her hand on the side of his face, enjoying the feeling of his stubble against her palm. He almost nuzzled into it. Almost. But he seemed to stop himself just in time.

"Can you ignore what you are feeling right now? Tell me you don't feel the same way I do and I'll walk away. Tell me you don't want me," she whispered.

She watched him swallow with great difficulty. Her body was high strung with the anticipation of what he would do next. Would he lie to her? Would he tell her he didn't feel the same way? Would he send her home?

The silence continued, giving Elena renewed hope.

"I don't hear anything," she breathed. "Go ahead, Damon. Tell me you don't want me."

She looked at him challengingly. _Come on, Damon.. Give in to me.._

She stepped a little closer to him, invading his personal space.

"I'm still not hearing anything," she repeated.

She leaned into him, ghosting her lips over his cheek. Letting him feel her breath on his lips. He had every chance to back out here.

She brushed her lips over his, causing Damon to let out a soft groan.

"I still don't hear anything," she whispered one final time. And then she captured his lips with her own. It felt every bit as good as last night. How could anyone call this wrong? How could anyone not see that they fit in every sense of the word? She was going to make Damon see.

Her tongue caressed the corners of his mouth as she let her hands wander down over his chest.

"Can you feel that, Damon?" she whispered against his lips. "Can you feel how we are together? Could you ever ignore this?"

His hands were caressing her back now, making goose-bumps appear on her skin. She placed kisses on his cheek, tracing a path to his ear, where she bit in his earlobe. She could hear his breath coming out in short pants. A smirk appeared on her face as she realised she was getting to him.

Her hand rested on the waistband of his jeans, letting her fingers tease the skin of his abdomen.

"You could have this every day, Damon. If you would just let yourself feel."

At those words, she withdrew herself from his embrace. She stepped back a little to look into his eyes. The usually icy blue eyes had become pools of darkness at his desire. His chest was heaving She felt proud for reducing him to such a mess.

She smirked as she grabbed her purse off of the floor and walked towards the front door. She turned around one last time.

"You think about that, Damon."

With that, she walked out the door, leaving him stunned….

**Yep, I know it was short again. But like I said, one review made me feel lousy about this entire story. So I'm a bit insecure about it now. Please review (if you like this), and let me know what you think about the direction I'm taking this in. **

**Thank you. **

**If you like my stories, follow me on twitter: /#!/Sandy1983b**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Thank you all so much for your support in the many reviews I received for last chapter. I really needed that. With your help I decided I'm going to write what I want to write, and never let anyone get in the way of that. This is MY story, so it is my plot to write. Thank you all for letting me see that. And I will try to make this chapter a good and long one for you. **

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP. The sound of the smoke detector was piercing in Elena's ears. And a cruel reminder of the fact that she screwed up. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" she yelled out in frustration, as she took in the blackened lasagne, now sitting in the sink. The oven was releasing puffs of black smoke, twirling up into the air. And it had caused the smoke detector to go off.

Well, this night was ruined! It was quite clear to her now that she didn't know how to cook. She would have to call a food delivery service.

A knock on the door broke her out of her musings. With her apron still on, she trudged up to the front door and opened it.

Her scowling face broke out into a smile when she saw who stood on the other side of the door.

"Damon," she breathed.

Damon frowned as he took in her appearance.

Shit!

She had forgotten all about the mess she had made of herself in her attempt to cook. She was wearing a stupid apron that said 'Kiss the Cook'. She could sense she had some sauce on her face and her hair was frizzy.

In front of her stood one of the sexiest men she ever met, and she looked like a train wreck!

She attempted to smooth down her hair a bit and smiled apologetic at him. He just raised an eyebrow.

"Is there a war going on in there?" he joked.

Her smile immediately changed into a scowl again.

"Ha ha! Very funny! I was trying to make a meal for me and my friends," she explained.

"I take it, it didn't work out?" he asked, as he nodded his head in the direction of the blaring sound of the smoke detector.

Elena shrugged.

"So where is your father? I was coming to pick him up for a company dinner," Damon told her.

"He just called to tell me he is running late. He told me to tell you to wait for him here. So come on in. Maybe you can help me fix that awful noise!"

Damon grinned and stepped inside.

He took his coat off and walked straight into the kitchen. There, he reached up and in one swift move removed the batteries from the blaring thing.

And the house was filled in silence.

"There, all done," Damon said triumphantly.

He turned around and almost bumped into Elena. Apparently he didn't realise she stood so close behind him. The air thickened instantly.

"You eh.. You got some sauce on your face," Damon mentioned hoarsely.

He reached up, and with his thumb he wiped away the red substance. An action that caused Elena's heart to immediately start thundering in her chest. She looked up into his eyes and felt like drowning in them.

She noticed his eyes darkening at their nearness. His fingers lingered on her face for a second. But then he turned around, and the moment was gone.

Elena sighed in disappointment.

"So what were you making?" Damon asked, trying to distract them both from what had happened moments before.

"I was trying to make lasagne."

Damon frowned as he took in the burned food in the sink.

"You burned lasagne?" he said incredulously.

Okay, now she felt stupid!

"You say that as if it is impossible to burn lasagne," Elena scowled at him.

Damon started laughing.

"For me it is!"

Elena started getting a little frustrated with him. Was he MOCKING her?

She took off her apron and threw it on the counter.

"I didn't realise I was talking to an Italian wonder cook!" she snapped.

"Elena, my last name is Salvatore. I AM Italian. I grew up with pasta and lasagne," he explained.

Okay, now Elena felt like slapping her forehead. Off course! Salvatore! She had to have known that he was of Italian heritage!

"So you know how to cook?" she asked hopefully.

Damon sauntered over towards the apron she had just thrown on the counter, and put it on. It looked utterly adorable on him. Especially with the 'Kiss the Cook' line on the front of it. O, if she could just act on that line!

"As long as I'm waiting for your father here, I might as well help you. Do you still have some ingredients left from your first attempt?"

Elena walked over to the fridge and took out some paprikas, tomato's and cheese. The pasta sauce was still on the counter. She handed it all over to him and watched him start to chop up the ingredients. For some reason it felt oddly nice, being this homey with him.

"So, what were your plans for tonight, besides the food?" Damon started making conversation.

Elena smiled.

"Well, since my mother and brother are away for some art thingy and you and Dad are going to your dinner, I have the entire place to myself. So I invited my two best friends over for dinner and a sleep over. We're just going to hang, maybe watch a movie, do some girl talk.. you know," Elena told him.

"That sounds like fun. More fun than being stuck at a company dinner all night."

Elena laughed at the way he started pouting.

"But it comes with the job."

Elena nodded and jumped up to sit down on the counter, next to where he was working.

"So I come to realise I don't know exactly what you do. I mean, I know you are a surgeon. But what type of surgeon? Are you a neurosurgeon, like my Dad?" she wanted to know.

Damon shook his head.

"I'm in trauma," he revealed. "It's very hectic. I see a lot of bad things. But in the end, when I am able to save another life, it's worth it."

Elena noticed the way his whole face lit up as he talked about his line of work. It made him seem like a little boy, proud of his toys.

"So why trauma? Was that something you always wanted?"

Damon's smile fell and his jaw clenched tight all of a sudden. It was obviously painful to talk about.

"If you don't want to talk about it, I understand," Elena said, giving him an out.

Damon kept on chopping, not looking her in the eye.

"My parents were in trauma when they died. They suffered a car accident. They were brought into the trauma unit. But they couldn't be saved. So when I went to med school I vowed to become a trauma surgeon. Because I wanted it to be a different outcome for other people. I want to see the joy on their faces when I tell them that their loved one is going to make it. But it still hurts like a bitch when I'm not able to do that. I guess you can't save them all," he trailed off.

Elena noticed the way his shoulders tensed. It was obviously still very hard for him. He lived with it every day.

Her hand shot up on its own accord and landed on his shoulder, in a comforting gesture.

"I'm sorry," she breathed.

Damon just shrugged.

"It's okay."

He looked at her for a moment, staring into her eyes. But he quickly looked away again.

"Do you want to taste my delicious sauce?" he asked, changing the subject.

Elena's face lit up and nodded excitedly. It already smelled great, so she was dying to find out how it tasted.

Damon scooped up some of the sustenance onto the wooden spoon, came to stand in front of her and let the sauce slide between her lips.

It tasted like heaven.

Elena closed her eyes and moaned around a mouthful of spoon.

Apparently, the action wasn't lost on Damon. When she opened her eyes, his eyes had become very dark and he looked at her intensely.

Elena realised the position they were in. She was still sitting on the counter and he had come to stand between her legs. And the skirt she had been wearing, had ridden up on her thighs. If anyone walked in right now, they might get the wrong impression. Or not…

He was standing so close to her, clutching the wooden spoon as if it was a lifeline. As if it was the very thing that was stopping him from kissing her. She noticed his knuckles had turned almost white at his strong grip.

"Damon..," she whispered.

Damon shook his head.

"Don't! Don't say it. Don't even think about it!" he warned her.

He dropped the wooden spoon on the counter next to her and tried to step out of their connection. But she wouldn't let him.

She tightened her legs around him, making it impossible for him to leave their embrace.

"Elena, stop it! It is not going to happen! Get it out of your head!"

Elena looked at him defiantly.

"You mean to tell me it's not in YOUR head? That you don't think about this 24/7? Because then you would be lying to me, and you know it!" she challenged him.

Damon scowled and put his hands on her thighs. It might have started out as an attempt at unlocking her legs. But it quickly turned into something else, as they both reeled from the delicious contact.

Elena wanted to lean in for a kiss, but didn't. She realised it had to come from him now. He had to make the initiative here. She held her breath as she waited.

Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long. His lips came crashing into hers. Their teeth smashed violently together, making Elena realise he was letting loose this time. He wasn't holding back. For a moment here, all of his pent up passion was released into the kiss.

He desperately pried her lips open, sweeping his tongue into her mouth. His hands slid up her thighs to cup her backside, lifting her up from counter and pressing her into some cabinets.

Elena wanted to cheer in victory. He was giving in to her!

She rolled her hips against him, coming in contact with his erection, making him hiss.

But it was over before he began. He almost dropped her to the floor and turned around, breathing harshly. No, no, NO! He was NOT doing this again!

**Damon's POV**

Damon clutched the counter desperately, trying to make sense of his own actions. Here he was, just 24 hours after making the decision of never giving in to Elena Gilbert again. And he had ravaged her again. This had to stop!

His feelings for her were slowly driving him crazy. He couldn't sleep without dreaming of her. She was the first thing on his mind when he woke up. He had dark circles under his eyes from fighting her. From feeling guilty.

And on top of that, he found it difficult to hang out with Grayson now. He could barely look the man in the eye. Because he wanted his daughter. His guilt was eating him alive. He couldn't live like this anymore!

He turned around to see Elena watching him closely, trying to figure out what he was going to say.

"Elena..," he began with a sigh.

He watched her face fall.

She refused to look him in the eye and walked over towards the now finished lasagne, that she practically threw into the oven.

She then proceeded to furiously clean the counter, wiping it angrily.

"Elena..,"he tried again. But she never met his gaze. She was flat out ignoring him now.

Damon sighed, and decided to talk anyway. She had to hear it.

"Fine, don't look at me. But this has to be said. This thing between us is messing us both up. And that's not a good thing. I used to enjoy hanging out with your father, and now I am walking on egg shells around him. I constantly feel guilty," he explained.

Elena whirled around.

"Guilty? There is no need to feel guilty! You haven't done anything wrong here!" she snapped at him.

Damon stepped closer to her and looked at her seriously.

"I feel guilty for wanting what I want, Elena!" he let her know.

Elena's cold stare softened a bit.

"I decided that if we're constantly acting this way around each other, then maybe we should just stay away all together. Maybe, with enough time, it will pass."

Elena's eyes filled up with tears, and Damon's heart broke. He had just crushed her. But it had to be done.

"So that's it?" Elena started sobbing. "I don't get a say in this? Who are you to decide what's best for me? You are saying all this as if we have a choice here! As if we have a choice in what we feel. You don't decide to fall in love, Damon! It happens to you. No matter the race, age, social status, gender or background. You just don't get to decide!"

Damon felt his heart clench at the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. But he carried on, with a crushing pain in his chest.

"You don't belong with me. Trust me, you'll get over me and find some nice boy to date."

"But I don't want a boy! I want you!" she cried. "Please don't do this, Damon. Don't disappear from my life!"

Damon walked up to her. He couldn't resist. He had to hold her one last time.

He put his arms around her, letting her sob into his shirt. He whispered soothing words to her and placed kisses on the top of her head. This was so hard.

"Care to tell me what's going on here?" Grayson Gilbert's voice could be heard behind them.

Damon froze and released Elena immediately.

FUCK!

**OMG, what exactly did Grayson see? You'll have to hit that button below to find out ;) **

**And yes, I totally stole Damon's line from last ep of TVD. It just made me melt when he said that ("for wanting what I want"). And I just had to get it in here somehow. **

**Finally, Elena's rant to Damon about not deciding who you fall in love with, came from my own last little outburst over the hurtful review. Well, I'm over it now. But I just wanted to point out that falling in love is not a choice. And I guess I'm just open minded about it. When I started out this story, I never dreamed anyone would have a problem with it. But there's always going to be people to see things differently. So thanks again for all the encouraging words. **

**And don't forget to review! **

**Sandy1983.**

**If you like my stories, follow me on twitter: /#!/Sandy1983b**


	7. Chapter 7

Chappie 7

**This chapter caused me some serious sleep deprivation! I couldn't go to sleep before getting this out. I'm hoping the shortage of sleep didn't mess with my writing. But on the other hand, this one is the longest chapter I wrote for this story. I really hope you like. **

Elena's heart pounded in her throat as she watched her father eyeing them in a funny way. She knew how this looked. Damon had his arms wrapped around her, he had kissed the top of her head. But the million dollar question was how much her father had heard. Elena couldn't really tell.

Damon looked as pale as a ghost. He was obviously tong tied. So it was left up to her to clean up the mess.

"I was a little upset, Daddy. Damon just comforted me," she lied.

Grayson stepped closer to them and squinted his eyes. Did he believe her?

"What was it that got you so upset?" he questioned.

Elena swallowed with difficulty. _Because Damon wants to leave me. He wants to walk out of my life.._

"It was just one of those days. I completely screwed up cheerleading practice. People were laughing at me. It was horrible. And then I came home and completely burned my dinner. Like I said. Rotten day. But Damon helped to make a new dish for me."

Grayson chuckled a bit.

"Ah, the drama of being a teenager! Right, Damon?"

Grayson patted Damon on the shoulder, causing Damon to flinch. He was practically choking on his own nerves.

"Right," Damon almost squeaked.

He threw Elena a relieved look. Apparently, her father hadn't seen or heard a thing.

"So, Damon.. You ready to get going?"

Damon nodded, still a little flustered. He threw off his apron and walked over to where his coat was lying. He looked at Elena one last time, before heading towards the front door with Grayson.

Elena felt like screaming his name, begging him to stop.

She knew he wasn't coming back after this. That he would find a way to avoid seeing her from now on.

Her father opened the front door, and Damon was ready to step through it. Ready to step out of her life.

"Damon..," his name escaped her lips before she had a chance to stop it.

Damon froze on the threshold. When he turned around, his eyes were haunted as he looked at her.

Elena gave him a pleading look. She hoped it conveyed everything, without alarming her father.

"It's okay, Elena," Damon finally said.

Elena knew why he said it. Her father would think he was just trying to reassure her that it was okay that she cried in his arms. But between them, she knew it meant that they would be fine without each other. That they were going to go on with their lives. And that with time, they would forget about each other.

Damon ripped his eyes away from her and closed the door behind him. Closing the door on them forever….

A few hours later, Elena was watching a movie with Bonnie and Caroline after just having finished the delicious lasagne, when they heard a commotion outside. Someone was very loud and… singing?

And from the sound coming closer and closer, Elena sensed that they were coming towards her front door.

"What the heck is going on out there?" Caroline said.

Elena frowned.

"That's what I would like to know.."

She got up from the couch, ready to walk towards her front door, when it already burst open on its own. What Elena saw then, made her eyes widen with surprise.

Her father was holding on to a very loud and obviously very drunk Damon.

"I take it company dinner was more fun than anticipated?" Elena asked her father, arching an eyebrow.

Grayson shook his head, amused.

"Honestly, I don't know what was up with Damon all night. He was jumpy whenever I asked him something. He seemed down for some reason. And then he started guzzling champagne like it was water," he told her.

"Champagne is GOOD!" Damon piped up.

Elena started laughing.

"Well, he is a fun drunk I see."

Grayson laughed too.

"I was going to take him home to sleep it off. But he didn't have his keys with him. Damon said, in his drunken stupor, he accidentally left them here when he was cooking with you. Did you find them?"

Elena walked over towards the kitchen. She did see some keys lying there. She just hadn't known they were Damon's. She grabbed them from the counter and headed back over to her father.

"Here they are."

Grayson looked relieved.

"Thanks. Well, the problem is..the hospital just paged me on the way over here. There is an emergency and I have to go back. So now what am I going to do with Damon? I don't want to leave him here with you girls. Things could get messy once the alcohol really sets in."

Elena thought it over for a second.

"I could take him home. Caroline and Bonnie are watching a movie that isn't going to be over for 2 more hours. I would be back before they could miss me," she offered. "Are you okay with that, girls?"

Elena glanced at her two friends that were munching on some popcorn. They both nodded, agreeing with her plan.

"Well, that's settled then. You go on back to the hospital. I'll take care of Damon."

"Thanks, sweetie. Let me go put him in your car for you. The man is rather heavy," Grayson chuckled.

Damon seemed to come alive again at that.

"I am NOT heavy. I work out. Have you seen my stomach? Toned, I'll tell you!" he put his two cents in.

Grayson and Elena both burst out laughing. He really was a funny drunk!

"Well, I'll just have to look at those muscled abs of yours some other time," Grayson joked.

Elena had tears running down her cheeks, she was laughing so hard.

"Come on, big man. Let's get you home," her father said as he began to drag Damon over towards her car.

Elena grabbed her coat and told the girls she would be back soon.

"Are you going to be okay with him? He is really drunk," Caroline asked worriedly.

Elena shrugged her shoulders.

"What's the worst that could happen?"

Damon was quiet in the ride over towards his apartment. He was snoring away on the seat next to her, causing Elena to grin. He looked so beautiful when he was asleep. Like a little boy. His face all relaxed and worry free.

As she parked in front of his apartment, she realised that now came the hard part. Getting him out of her car and into that building. Her father was right. He was heavy. She just hoped he was still able to walk.

She walked over towards the other side of the car and opened the door. She then knelt down to Damon's level and proceeded to stroke his cheek.

"Damon? You have to wake up. Time to go home," she whispered. His skin felt so good underneath her hands.

Damon's gorgeous blue eyes opened and focused on her. Her heart almost jumped at the vision of innocence pouring from his eyes. Why couldn't he always be like this? Without a care in the world?

"Elena?" he whispered in wonder.

Elena smiled at him.

"Come on, baby. Let's get you inside."

She did notice her slip up of calling him 'baby'. But fortunately he was too drunk to notice. He stumbled out of the car, almost dropping to the floor. But Elena managed to hold him up.

She dragged him over towards the building, opened the front door and was able to get him into the elevator. She let him lean against the wall, so she wouldn't have to support him anymore.

Soon enough, they arrived on his floor.

Damon put his arm around her neck, leaning heavily on her. Elena wrapped her arm around his back. It was a nice feeling to hold him like this, even though he was drunk.

She could smell the alcohol on him, and he was hiccupping into her ear. Which caused her to wonder, why did he do this to himself?

"You smell delicious, y'know that?" Damon all of a sudden breathed. He pressed his nose against her hair and inhaled deeply. "You always smell delicious."

Elena smiled at his antics. She could SO tease him with this when he was sober!

She opened the front door to his apartment and managed to drag him over towards his bedroom. There, she dropped him on the bed.

There! She was done! Victory!

She watched as he was laying spread eagle on the bed. His arms spread out, his legs dangling over the edge of the bed. It seemed he was already passed out. It was an adorable vision.

Elena knelt down and took off his shoes and socks. She might as well make him a little comfortable.

But she drew the line at taking off anything else. No need to play with fire here!

Okay, time to go home.

She looked at Damon one last time, before creeping out of his bedroom.

"Elena? Don't go," she heard his drunken voice behind her.

Elena stopped in the doorway and turned around. Damon had propped himself up on his elbows and was watching her.

"Was there anything you needed, Damon?" Elena asked.

Damon nodded with wide eyes.

"I need you. I need you so bad it hurts. You scare me, you know that?" he confessed.

Elena gulped and her feet crept closer to Damon on their own accord. She sat down on the bed next to him and looked at him.

"Why do I scare you?" she breathed.

Damon gulped visibly.

"Because I can't resist you. Because you are so beautiful, that each time you're in the same room as me, I can't take my eyes off of you. You drive me crazy. I want you so badly, that my entire body aches. But I can't.. There is nothing I can do about it. But I WANT to do something about it."

Elena's heart thundered in her chest at his words. She had longed to hear them for so long now.

_He is drunk, Elena! Remember that!_

"So why don't you do something about it?" Elena dared to ask.

She looked up at him from under her lashes.

Damon leaned a little closer to her, as if he was going to whisper something in her ear.

"Because I'm scared of your father."

And then he almost giggled, reminding her of the fact that he was indeed still very drunk.

He leaned close to her again.

"But let me tell you a little secret. Sometimes I think: 'To hell with your father!' and just want to ravage you. I want to know what it's like. I want to know if you would feel as good as in my dreams."

Elena swallowed hard as Damon leaned even closer and began whispering in her ear.

"Just once, I would like to know what it's like to have you wrap your legs around me and bury myself inside of you," he almost moaned.

Elena's entire body quivered in need.

Holy hell, he had never talked to her like this! She just guessed some drunken people were brutally honest. And he was one of them.

Suddenly, Damon took off his shirt. Elena's mouth almost fell open at the sight of his naked chest, that was heaving up and down.

"I want to feel your hands on me," he groaned, and his eyes darkened.

Elena's throat felt insanely dry all of a sudden. He obviously didn't know what he was doing here. Sober Damon would never do this. If she did this, he would probably blame her in the morning.

She shot up from the bed and stumbled backwards, ready to bolt.

Damon was faster though, which was surprising for an inebriated person. He pushed her against the wall and looked deeply into her eyes.

He leaned one hand on the wall next to her head, while the other began to wander over her body.

"You were right about thinking about this 24/7. You plague my mind. Tell me, Elena. Do I plague yours," he asked darkly.

Elena's breath hitched as his hand slid up her inner thigh.

"You know you do," she moaned.

Damon smirked, quite pleased with her answer.

He touched her through her underwear, causing Elena's head to fall back against the wall.

"Just once," Damon breathed huskily. "Just once." It was almost like he was reasoning with himself to do this. But before she had a chance to say something, his hand slid inside her underwear.

Elena bit her lip to stifle a groan.

"Damon," she whispered in a needy voice.

Damon buried his face in her neck.

"I love it when you say my name like that. It's like a caress. You say it as if it's the most beautiful word in the world," he mumbled against her flesh.

"You ARE the most beautiful thing in the world to me," Elena answered him.

When he slid a finger up inside of her, she was done talking. She just let herself feel as he worked her to a fever pitch. His mouth slanted over hers, giving her the most sensual kiss she ever had.

She opened her legs a little more, allowing him better access. He used it to add another finger.

His hand was moving at a faster rhythm now, and Elena wrapped an arm around his neck to keep her knees from buckling. She moved her hips back and forth, adding to his already delicious pace. She felt her limbs begin to tremble. The tell tale fluttering in her belly.

When Damon pressed down on her clit, she exploded with a bang. She screeched his name, her internal muscles tightening on his fingers. He helped her ride out the waves, before he withdrew himself from her and stumbled back towards the bed.

Elena readjusted her dress, before walking over towards him. He looked a little pale as he lay back down on the mattress.

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

Damon stared blankly up at the ceiling.

"I wasn't supposed to do that," was his answer.

Elena sat down next to him, stroking the side of his face.

"It's okay, Damon. I enjoyed it," she reassured him.

Damon looked at her a little confused. But then realisation struck him.

"No, I didn't mean THAT. I meant that I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you. I wasn't supposed to do that," he whispered brokenly.

Elena's heart skipped several beats and tears began to burn in her eyes. Did he just..?

"You're in love with me?" she squeaked.

Damon continued to stare up at the ceiling.

"I fought so hard. But I lost. I tried to walk away from you tonight. But I wound up drinking myself into a stupor. I'm done fighting. I need you," he revealed. He then turned to look her straight into her eyes.

Elena felt tears rolling down her cheeks. Was he really finally giving in? Or was it just the alcohol talking? Would he still remember this in the morning? Would he go back to fighting her once he was completely sobered up?

Elena smiled when she saw his eyes falling shut. She got up from the bed and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"Goodnight, Damon."

She turned off all the lights before leaving, looking over at his sleeping form one last time. Time would tell if he really meant what he said tonight….

**When morning comes, will it be the harsh light of day? Will Damon pretend like nothing ever happened? Or will he really give in this time? The review button will let you find out ;) **

**Sandy1983.**

**If you like my stories, follow me on twitter: /#!/Sandy1983b**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**Author's note: I'm going to explain something here. There still are a lot of questions concerning Elena's age. So a friend of mine did some research on the Laws of Virginia (where Mystic Falls is), and looked up the part on ´age of consent´. Turns out that the age of consent to sex there is 16. So in the eyes of the Virginian Law she is old enough to make her own decisions. It is NOT illegal what they are doing here. Damon would NOT get arrested, if something like this were to happen in real life. This is the last time I will pay attention to nasty comments. I can't be bullied into pulling the plug on my story. But after a disgusting reaction from an anonymous reader, I felt the need to explain myself one last time. But after saying this, I'm done. I'm tired of defending this story, so I'm not going to anymore. Therefore, further appalling comments will be ignored. **

**And now on with the story!**

Damon groaned as he rolled over in bed. He didn't feel all that good. He tried opening his eyes, but immediately regretted that decision as soon as the light hit them. It felt like an explosion behind his eyelids and his head began to throb. He instantly knew what this meant.

He was hung over.

Fuck, what the hell did he do at that company dinner?

His mind went into overdrive as he was trying to figure out the previous night's events. Unfortunately, thinking long and hard like that, caused a wave of nausea to wash over him. It was best not to think at all and just lie here until the day was over.

Now that sounded like a plan!

He snuggled his nose into the pillow and took a deep breath to calm his rolling stomach. The shrill sound of his cell phone going off on his bedside table pierced his ears, and his head immediately exploded again.

"Shit!"he cursed.

His hand shot out to grab the annoying thing, ready to throw it out the window. But he decided against that and picked up.

"Lo?"he moaned into the phone.

Laughter could be heard on the other side of the line, and Damon wanted to kill whoever was mocking him!

"You don't sound too good," Grayson's voice resounded.

Damon sighed at his friend's voice and tried to sit up in bed. He leaned his head against the headboard and closed his eyes, while listening.

"Well, I don't feel too good, either. What the hell did I do last night?" he wanted to know.

Grayson went back to laughing.

Damon scowled at his phone. If he was going to be like this, he was going to hang up on him! Friend or not!

"I'm sorry, Damon. You were just so funny!" Grayson explained.

Damon shook his head in embarrassment.

"What did I do, Gray?" he asked.

"You don't remember?" Grayson sounded surprised.

"Nope,"Damon said, popping the ´p´.

Grayson sighed.

"Well, you drank way too much champagne at the company dinner. So I wanted to take you home. But you left your keys at my house. I went to pick them up, with you singing out loud in my passenger seat. It was hilarious! Anyway, I got called back in for an emergency at the hospital, so Elena wound up taking you home. You'll have to ask her if you did anymore embarrassing things after I left."

Damon's eyes shot open at this. Elena took him home?

Fuck, yeah. Now he remembered!

She had hoisted him towards his apartment, while he kept on breathing in her ear.

O man! He had said some things…He had done some things….

FUCK!

Okay, now he all of a sudden didn't feel so comfortable talking to his friend anymore. He had seduced his daughter last night!

"Anyway, I just called to see how you were doing. You just rest now. You have the day off so take your time. Take a shower. And I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, Grayson hung up.

Damon sighed, placed the phone back on the bedside table and lay back down on the bed.

Memories from last night came pouring back to him. Of him saying his most private thoughts to Elena. Of kissing her.. Of telling her that he was in love with her..Damn! When he drank, he sure went all out!

How would he ever face her again?

He looked down at himself and saw the way he had fallen asleep. He still had his pants on. But his shoes and socks were taken off, by Elena probably. And his shirt was missing. But then he remembered taking it off himself, and practically begging Elena to touch him.

O hell!

He rolled out of bed with effort and wobbled over towards his kitchen. Aspirin sounded like heaven right now. He immediately took 2. And a glass of water.

His stomach lurched as soon as the water hit it. Damon grasped onto the counter and took a few calming breaths.

He was NEVER drinking again. It caused too many problems. He was probably in some deep shit with Elena right now.

Damon slumped over towards the couch and flopped down on it. He buried his head in his hands, as he tried to contemplate getting out of this mess.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

Damn, all he wanted today was some peace and quiet. But he sure as hell wasn't getting that! First the phone, now the door..

Crankily, he sauntered over towards the front door and opened it. His eyes widened as he saw who was on the other side of it.

"Elena," he whispered.

She smiled meekly at him.

"Can I come in?" she asked nervously.

Damon felt just as nervous. He had just calmed his stomach down. But now it was going crazy again, doing flip flops.

When had a woman ever made his stomach feel like doing flip flops?

Damon stepped aside, and let Elena come in to his apartment.

Did she want to talk about what happened? He wasn't sure he was up for that now. He felt like death. He probably looked like death. He was never conscious about the way he looked. But now, around Elena, he was.

She walked over towards his window and looked out for a second, before turning around to face him.

"How are you doing?" she asked.

Damon raised an eyebrow at her words.

"How does it look like I'm doing?"

Elena began to blush and looked down.

Damon wanted to slap himself on the forehead. Now he made her feel stupid! That wasn't his intention. He was just cranky.

He walked over to where she was standing, cupped her chin in his hand and raised her head to look at him.

"Hey. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm just not up to my best right now. I might sound a little snappy," he explained.

She looked at him from under her long eyelashes and swallowed.

Damn, why did she always have to look at him like that! He felt like he was about to spontaneously combust.

She went to stand on her tiptoes, leaning in for a kiss.

Damon immediately reared back, causing her face to fall. She was disappointed.

"Don't you remember what you said to me last night? Or was it all alcohol induced?" she wanted to know.

Damon turned around and sat down on the couch, rubbing his hands through his hair.

"I do remember. I know what I said. And I meant it."

He saw Elena's eyes begin to light up at his words.

"But," he stressed. "I still think we need to take a step back here. You're young. You still have a lot to experience and see. The timing is not right."

Elena remained where she stood at the window and bit her lip. He was breaking her heart, and he felt lousy for doing so.

"Do you want me to say it? I'm sober now, so I can't take anything back once I've said it," Damon began.

Elena looked at him confused, not sure about what he was going to do.

"I'm in love with you, Elena. I am hopelessly and completely in love with you. I have never felt this way before in my life."

Elena gasped and a huge smile began to grace her features. She walked over to where he was sitting and knelt down in front of him.

"What I am saying here.. What I am offering.. This thing between us. It's right. It's just not right now. With given time, if we still feel this way about each other, I'll consider taking this to the next level. Just not now," he explained.

Elena nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks. He didn't know whether it was from happiness that he was giving her an inch, or from disappointment that he wasn't giving anything to her right now.

"How long do I have to wait?" she whispered.

Damon raised his eyebrow, surprised that she was so ready to wait for him.

"Are you sure you want to wait? I'll bet that there are dozens of boys that are ready to take you out," Damon pointed out, ignoring the surge of jealousy that ran through him at the thought.

Elena huffed at that.

"Boys? I like you! So..How long, Damon?" she repeated her earlier question.

She leaned in a bit, leaving just an inch of space between their lips.

Damon's gaze fell on her plump, bottom lip that was sticking out. It was begging to be kissed.

He cleared his throat. What was the question again?

"How long, Damon?" It sounded so breathy, Damon could barely hear her anymore. He could only hear his own blood, rushing in his ears.

When Elena licked her lips, he was a goner. He closed the distance between their lips and almost groaned at the contact.

He wanted to ask himself the same question. ´_How long are you going to deny yourself this, Damon?_´

Elena wrapped her hands into his hair and pulled him close, plunging her tongue into his mouth.

Even though Damon felt like a complete train wreck this morning, Elena already made his body feel so much better. His skin came to life at her touch, his nausea disappeared. His stomach was only doing flip flops now, because of her.

And there was a part of his anatomy now, that didn't feel ill at all!

Unfortunately, Elena pulled away from him suddenly. She got up and walked over towards the front door, swaying her hips for his benefit. She turned around, just as she was about to reach for the door knob.

"Consider that a preview of what's to come, Damon," she teased.

A grin graced her features as she walked out the door, leaving Damon baffled on his couch….

**So this was a bit of a transitioning chapter. So sorry that it's a little shorter than the last one. But like Elena said, consider this a preview of what's to come ;) I know..I'm a tease. And I am totally stringing you along here. But trust me; it will be worth the wait. I promise it won't be long now. If you would just hit that review button!**

**And yep, I inserted another line from TVD. I just can't resist! They are too good to pass up!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**To my readers from Letters from the past: That one will be updated next. Yay!**

**Sandy1983.**

**Follow me for info about the story, or just to chat about TVD: /#!/Sandy1983b**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**SURPRISE! I know I said I was going to update ´Letters´, but when I sat down to write, this came out. It wasn't planned. But I really hope you like my surprise here :) So this chapter is probably also going to be a surprise. You'll either love it or you'll hate it. I am very nervous about it, so please reassure me in a nice review :) **

Elena was cranky. To say the least. She sat on a barstool and watched her friends having fun on the dance floor. She was supposed to be dancing up there too. But instead, she sat here nursing her alcohol free apple martini.

There was only one reason that she felt this way. She hadn't heard from HIM. It was her freaking birthday, and not one word! Was it really too much to ask for a gift, a birthday card, anything?

Okay, she understood that he needed space. He needed time before he gave in to his feelings for her. He still felt guilty towards her father. She understood all of that. But he could have wished her a happy birthday!

For the past two months, he had avoided her a bit. He still hung out with her father, but they always went elsewhere. And that sucked! Elena found herself missing him. And when they did run into each other, her desire for him was driving her up the wall. They could barely keep their eyes off of each other.

But still, he maintained his distance.

"Elena! You really are no fun tonight!" Caroline scolded her.

Elena sighed and looked at her.

"I know. I'm sorry. Here you are, doing your best to give me a super 17th birthday and I'm completely ruining it."

Caroline sat down next to her and watched her with concerned eyes.

"What's up, sweetie? Why are you in such a bad mood?"

Elena gulped her martini down in one go and slammed the glass back on the bar.

"Let's just say I expected someone to wish me a happy birthday and they didn't," Elena explained.

Caroline's face fell.

"O, that always sucks! So who is this shitty person?" she wanted to know.

Elena shook her head. THAT, she wasn't telling!

She shrugged her shoulders and climbed off the barstool, ready to get going.

"It doesn't matter. Look, I'm just going to go and leave you all to have a good time without me. I'm no use to you anyway."

Caroline stopped her.

"Elena, don't. I'll cheer you up. I always do!" she said with a wink.

Elena smiled and shook her head.

"Not this time, Care. Don't worry. I'll hail a cab, get home and check out all the prezzies I got today. You just keep on partying. Tell Bonnie and Matt that I said thanks for the great party."

Caroline positively pouted, but accepted her defeat.

"Fine, I'll call you first thing tomorrow," she promised.

Elena gave her a hug.

"You really are a good friend."

She said her goodbyes and sauntered outside.

She kicked a rock that lay at her feet and scowled at herself. Why did this thing with Damon tear her up so much? He was driving her crazy! More so, than any other guy had ever done for her. Not even Matt had made her feel these things. She loved the guy, but there wasn't passion. She didn't have this intense pull with him, that she did have with Damon. He didn't make her body scream with want. Sex with him had been nice. But that's all that it was. Nice. It wasn't earth shattering.

Damon on the other hand, had the ability to drive her insane. She would bet that sex with him would be electrifying. Smoking hot. He had already given her a preview of that when he touched her intimately.

But after that, nothing. He left her waiting in the wings. How long was he going to be able to hold off? How long was he going to make her wait?

When she got home, she kicked off her high heels and slumped down on the couch.

Since everybody was under the assumption she was out with friends tonight, her family had already thrown her a party this afternoon. So she could go clubbing. Her brother was also out with friends, and her parents had this fund raising thingy they were attending. So she was home alone.

"Happy birthday to me," she grumbled as she stared at the balloons in the living room….

**Damon's POV**

He didn't know how many times he had picked up the phone today to call her. But he always froze. Would it be suspicious if he wished her a happy birthday? What would Grayson make of that?

He had actually bought a present for her. But it was still sitting in his pocket. He was afraid to give that to her too. Again, worried what people might think.

So here he was, pacing his apartment with his cell phone in his hand. She was probably out with friends anyway. She would never hear her phone ring.

"Crap!"he snapped as he put the phone back down on the table.

This wasn't like him! He was always the womanizer. He slept with them, and then he left them. He wasn't one to act like a love sick puppy!

He tried. He really tried to keep his distance. To wait until the time was right. But what time would that be?

It had been two months since he told her to wait. Two long, agonizing months.

He kept his distance from her, to keep his sanity in check. But he always pried for information about her with Grayson. With subtlety of course, his friend didn't suspect a thing. He had to watch his emotions around him.

He remembered an awkward conversation that they had a few days ago. Of course, Grayson hadn't realised it was awkward. But Damon felt tong tied and didn't quite know what to say.

"_I think Elena is lonely," Grayson had suddenly said. _

_Damon's voice snapped up at him. _

"_She's going to be 17. And the last guy she dated was Matt. And that was months ago. Hey, not that I'm complaining. A father always wants to lock up his daughter until she is at least 30, before she starts dating. But I'm a little worried. She's lonely, and yet I see her pushing every guy away that looks at her." _

_Damon felt a little relieved at the fact that Elena wasn't seeing someone else. But he couldn't let Grayson notice that. So he just played along. _

"_Why do you think she's doing that?" he questioned. _

_Grayson shrugged. _

"_I honestly don't know. But she's moody. I miss the happy Elena." _

Damon swallowed hard at that sentence from Grayson. She wasn't happy because of him. He was making her miserable.

All the more reason why he shouldn't call her tonight. Maybe he had been wrong before. Maybe this thing between them wasn't right.

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

If he was smart, he would walk away from her.

Yep, that was the best thing to do. So why was he picking up the phone and calling her?

Before he had time to contemplate what he was doing, she already picked up.

"Hello?"

Damon felt his throat become dry at her voice. He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound would come out.

"Hello? Who is this?" he heard her sweet voice repeat itself.

Damon took a deep breath, but remained quiet. He couldn't speak.

"Damon?" she all of a sudden breathed into the phone.

Damon hung up and threw the phone away as if he had been burned. How had she known? O fuck! He hung up. Now she would definitely know it was him!

He started pacing again. He was behaving irrationally here!

"Get a fucking grip, Damon!" he scolded himself.

He poured himself some strong coffee. He needed it.

About a half an hour later, incessant pounding could be heard. Someone was knocking on his front door, and wasn't all that gentle about it.

Damon frowned and walked over towards the impatient person, who was still pounding away.

"All right! Hold your horses!" he yelled.

He opened the door and was stunned when Elena Gilbert breezed past him.

She looked pissed.

"Well, why don't you come in, Elena," he joked at her brash entrance.

She whirled around and her eyes practically shot fire at him.

"I would just like to know what the HELL you think you're doing here?" she spat.

Damon was a little taken back at her outburst.

"I.."

He couldn't even finish his sentence. Because she stalked over to where he stood and poked her finger into his chest, ready to tell him off.

"You ignore me! You never tell me how long I have to wait for you! And you don't even leave me a message on my FUCKING birthday!"

She turned away from him and began pacing.

"And then, you call me and you hang up the phone! I don't understand you anymore, Damon. You're hot one moment and cold the next. Make up your freaking mind here! You want me to wait for you, yet you still fight me every step of the way. I'm tired of that, Damon. If you keep on being like this, I'm not going to sit around and wait for you anymore."

She took a moment to take a deep breath before she continued.

"I'm done here, Damon."

Damon's eyes widened at this information. Wait, was she walking away from him? From this?

Elena walked back over towards the front door with angry paces. When she reached it, she turned around one last time.

"Goodbye, Damon."

Those words set him into action. He flew over to where she was getting ready to walk out of his door, to walk out of his life and spun her back around. He slammed the door shut with one hand, while pushing her against the hard surface with the other.

"O no, you don't!" he said angrily. "You think I don't want this? That I don't think about this every goddamn second of every goddamn day?"

Elena raised her chin defiantly.

"Then prove it to me. Show me how much you want me."

They stared into each others eyes for a second. One daring, the other resisting.

It didn't last long. Damon crashed his lips into hers, making her moan at the sudden contact. He poured all of his pent up frustration into the kiss, wringing her mouth open to let his tongue in.

"Yes! Damon," Elena groaned against his lips.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, while he hoisted her up against him. She hissed when she came into contact with his already fully aroused member.

"I need you, Damon. I need this," she whispered.

Damon groaned and agreed wholeheartedly. He was too far gone to stop this. He had been waiting for so long. He had denied himself for so long.

He let out a grunt as she wrapped her legs around him. He pushed her hard against the door, grinding himself into her.

Elena's hands began to wander. She glided them over his chest, wanting to know what every inch of him felt like. She was desperate to feel his skin against hers, so she ripped off his blouse.

"That was expensive," Damon said between kisses.

When she slid her thumb over his nipple however, he didn't care if the thing had cost a million dollars. This was far more important.

He pulled her away from the door and began carrying her towards the bedroom, with her still clinging to him like a monkey.

He dropped her down on the bed, admiring her for a second. Her skin looked flushed, her lips were swollen from his kisses and her eyes had glazed over. All for him. He lay down next to her and began to stroke up and down her arm.

"I need to know that you're sure about this. If you're not…" He let the end of that sentence linger into the air. She knew what he was trying to say.

Elena just looked at him incredulously.

"Are you kidding me? I've wanted this for months now."

Damon smiled at her and captured her lips in a moist kiss.

He rolled over on top of her and began to pull her dress up, slowly exposing delicious inch after inch of skin. He kissed every patch he revealed, until she was squirming underneath him.

Finally, he ripped the thing over her head and threw it on the floor.

She looked so beautiful, spread before him. Her hair spread out on his pillow. Her chest heaving up and down.

He kissed his way back up her stomach, pausing at her still covered breasts. He pulled the material aside and laved her nipple, making Elena push her chest into him. That only spurred him on.

He took the nipple into his mouth and worried it with his teeth for a second, before sucking on it.

Elena let out a loud squeak underneath him.

"Damon," she sighed.

Damon grinned and alternated his attention between both her breasts, while his right hand found the sweet spot between her thighs.

He dipped his finger into her underwear, finding her already wet.

Elena ran her hands through his hair, squirming on his bed.

And then he slipped a finger inside of her and her mouth opened in a silent scream.

Damon kissed his way back towards her mouth again, while moving his finger in and out of her.

"Don't stop!" she begged. "Don't ever stop."

He had no intention of stopping. Not now. Not anymore. A gun could be going off next to his head, and he still wouldn't leave this bed.

Elena began to reach for his jeans, wanting it off. But she was finding it hard to do, with him kissing her senseless and his finger doing sinful things. Damon helped her a bit. With his free hand he popped open the button and slowly worked the material over his powerful thighs.

"I'm ready, Damon," Elena told him.

Damon could tell. When he added more fingers to his assault, he found no resistance in her folds whatsoever.

Taking the last of their garments off, Damon rolled on a condom and positioned himself at her entrance.

"Do it," Elena moaned at him.

And then the world tilted on its axes. Damon felt as if he reached nirvana as he slid inside her warmth. He let out a loud groan, releasing months of sexual tension.

They lay still for a moment, enjoying all sensations. But the urge to move became too much, and Damon found himself thrusting hard within minutes.

"O god, Elena!" he moaned loudly.

He kissed her carnally, while her hands slid over his back towards his bottom. She grasped it, aiding in his movements.

Months of denying themselves made this a wild ride. And it ended in a powerful explosion for the both of them.

Damon fell down on top of her, completely spent.

The world became silent for a second, both breathing harshly.

"I knew it would be like this," Elena whispered with a smile on her face.

Damon raised himself up to look at her.

"Happy birthday, Elena."

**So what did you think? I kind of thought it was time for this. After NINE chapters of teasing ;) How do you think this will end? Will Damon finally regret nothing? Or will he bolt again? Let me know!**

**Oh, and ´Letters´ will be updated this weekend. PROMISE!**

**Please review!**

**Follow me for info about the story, or just to chat about TVD: /#!/Sandy1983b**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Elena listened to the quiet breathing of Damon. He was so relaxed now. More relaxed than she had ever seen him.

He was hugging her to him, his head resting on her breasts. And he was sleeping soundly.

Smiling, Elena stroked his hair.

That had been a wonderful experience. Probably one of the best moments in her life. Damon had finally given in. And now it seemed as if it had resolved a lot of tension for him. His entire body was calm.

He wasn't fighting anymore, and his muscles noticed. His usually tense back, was completely relaxed.

Although Elena was a little worried about how he would react when he woke up.

He wasn't going to regret anything, was he?

Also, how would their relationship (if you could call it that already) evolve from here? Now that the sexual tension was out of the way. Would he let her in? Would they really take their time to get to know each other? Would they even get time for that?

Because, if Damon wanted to keep this a secret from everyone, Elena would have to lie and cheat her way out of the house. They wouldn't get that much time together. Damon also still hung out with her father, which could cause a problem.

But still, all of this had been clear to her from the beginning. A relationship with Damon Salvatore would never be easy. People would judge. Her own parents might even judge. There where a lot of insecurities here. But Elena was willing to take the risk. For him, she was willing to fight.

Damon moved a bit, and snuggled his nose into her chest. His arms tightened their hold on her.

Elena could only imagine waking up like this every morning with him. How wonderful that would be. If only those incredible blue orbs could be the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes.

But that wasn't going to happen for a while. She knew that. Her parents would get suspicious if she stayed away all night. Which was why she wasn't sleeping now.

She kept on staring at Damon's alarm clock intently. She had promised her dad she would be home around 2 am. He was still under the impression that she was out partying for her birthday.

It was now 1 am. Almost time to get out of bed and go home. But she had a hard time leaving the warmth of Damon's bed.

Damon moved again and kissed her breast.

He was awake.

She held her breath, anxious for what he would say.

"If you're not as spent as I am, I wasn't doing something right," he joked, as he raised himself on his elbows.

Elena smiled up at him.

He was so adorable when he just woke up. His eyes were sleepy, his hair was ruffled.

He looked as innocent as a little boy.

"Trust me, I'm pleasantly numb here. But I have to get home in a few minutes. I promised my dad I would be.

Damon's smile fell a little at the mention of his best friend.

"Ah yes, of course. No sleepovers tonight."

He rolled off of her and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

Elena sat up and looked at him apologetically.

"I can try to come over tomorrow night," she offered.

Damon frowned.

"I'm working tomorrow night. My schedule is a little hectic this week. A lot of hours, and most of the time at night. I only have the mornings off," he explained.

Elena's face fell.

"Which is when I'll be at school."

Damon looked at her seriously and tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear.

"We'll think of something."

Elena looked over at the alarm clock again. She groaned when she saw the time.

"I really have to get going. Crap, this is probably the last we're going to see of each other in over a week!" she complained.

Damon smiled at her.

"This is exactly the reason why I never did relationships before. My time is always at a limit."

Elena's mouth fell open at his words. Did he just..? She had to know. She had to ask.

"So what are you saying? Are we in a relationship here?" she breathed.

Damon got a shocked expression on his face.

"Don't tell me that we went through all of this trouble just for a night of sex. Now I feel used!"

His shocked expression turned into a teasing one. He was joking. And then he did that eye thing that always made her swoon.

Elena leaned forward and softly kissed his lips.

"One night with you could never be enough," she whispered.

The kiss quickly spiralled out of control, and before she knew it, Elena was panting against his lips.

"I." Kiss. "Really." Kiss. "Need." Kiss. "To." Kiss. "Get going."

Damon grinned evilly at her.

"Then what's stopping you?" he teased.

Elena rolled her eyes.

"I unleashed a devil here, didn't I?"

Damon waggled his eyebrows at her. But then he turned serious again.

"Let's not tell anyone about this yet. I need to figure out a way to break this to Grayson. And it's not going to be easy. I really don't think that he's going to understand."

Elena sighed.

"I know. I thought about it too. Fine, we'll keep this a secret for a while. See where this takes us. If all goes well, we'll tell him."

Damon nodded, glad that she understood.

Elena gave him one last kiss, before grabbing her clothes off the floor and heading home….

She felt like pulling out her hair! It had been four days now, since she last saw Damon. And she was going bonkers. If he didn't call or text her soon, she was going to flip out!

She even got jealous when her father had announced yesterday night, that he was going out for a drink with Damon after work. She fucking got jealous!

She was driving herself up the wall here, she knew that. But if she didn't hear from him soon, she was going to find him herself!

"Elena? Have you even heard a word I was saying to you?"

Uh oh! Caroline sounded a little pissed.

Elena focused her attention on her best friend and smiled.

"Sorry sweetie. You were saying?"

Caroline sat up straight and began waving excitedly with her hands.

"Like I said. Wendell Hart totally wants to go out with you! Isn't that great? So I totally set up a double date between you, me, him and Matt. We're going this Saturday!"

Elena's eyes wanted to pop out of her head.

"You did WHAT? she snapped.

Caroline was a bit taken back by her outburst. But she didn't care. She never liked being set up anyway. And she was taken now. She didn't think Damon would agree with her going out with other guys.

"I thought you would like it," Caroline said, confused.

Elena sighed, trying to tone down her irritation.

"I'm not going out with Wendell. I'm sorry you went through all that trouble, Care. But it's not going to happen."

Caroline shook her head, still not getting it.

"But..He's, like, super hot! I don't understand you. Do you have your eye on someone else?" she wanted to know.

Elena's face immediately broke out into a grin. She couldn't stop it. She was completely revealing herself here.

Caroline caught on immediately. Her eyes began to glimmer and she leaned forward excitedly.

"You do, don't you? You have a thing for someone! Maybe even WITH someone! Tell me! Who is he?"

Elena felt a bit nervous now. Shit! How was she going to talk her way out of this one?

"Come one, Elena! I am your best friend. I want to know!" Caroline pressed.

Elena bit her lip. Well, maybe she could reveal just a little. And swear Caroline to secrecy.

"Okay, yes. I am seeing someone. But no one can now. Okay? You can never tell anyone," Elena stressed.

Caroline positively squealed.

"Ooh, secret relationships! I never thought you had it in you! You're always such a goody two shoes. So why is it a secret?"

Elena swallowed something. Caroline couldn't know too much.

"He's older. My father would probably never approve," she explained.

Caroline was bouncing in her seat now.

"This is so exciting! I want to know details here! Is he hot? Have you two already done the dirty? And if yes, what was it like?" she rambled on.

Elena started laughing. Sometimes she really loved Caroline for her no bullshit attitude.

"Yes, he is extremely hot. And it was the best sex I ever had."

Caroline let out a whoop.

"Girl, you are, like, my idol right now!"

Elena became serious again.

"But Care, there is a reason this is a secret. I can't have you go blabbing this around. I need to figure out if my relationship with this man could work. If it does, all will be revealed in time."

Caroline pouted a little.

"I better be the first to know!" she threatened Elena.

Elena smiled at her.

"Sweetie, you're the only one that knows any of this. But remember. Lips have to stay sealed," she repeated.

Caroline nodded excitedly.

All of a sudden, Elena got up from her seat and straightened her shoulders, which confused Caroline.

"Where are you going? I thought you were going to study with me?"

Elena's face broke out in an evil grin.

"Sorry, hon. But it's been four days since I last saw my hot man. I'm going to seize the day and find him!" she said with resolve.

On that note, she turned around to leave.

"You go girl!" Caroline yelled after her…

Elena strutted into the hospital with a smile on her face. This was by far the craziest action she had ever pulled. She didn't even know if Damon was operating right now. She just hoped he wasn't.

She found the floor that held the trauma unit and tried to keep a low profile while searching for him.

It didn't take her very long.

He was at a file cabinet, leafing through one, when he spotted her.

His face broke out into a confused smile.

"What are you doing here?" he asked sweetly.

He put the file away and walked her to a supply room, making sure nobody would spot them or would be able to eavesdrop.

He closed the door behind him and looked at her expectantly.

"Is something wrong? You can tell me. I'm on a break right now, so I have some time," he told her.

Elena just smiled. Perfect!

She closed in on him and began to kiss his jaw.

She slowly worked her way up to his ear and bit in the lobe, earning a small moan from Damon.

"What are you doing?" he asked a little breathless.

Elena smirked at him.

"If you have to ask, I'm not doing it right."

Damon's confused stare quickly turned into a playful grin. He closed the distance between them and touched his lips to hers.

Elena groaned. Four days really had been too long!

She slipped off his doctor's coat, making it slide towards the floor.

Damon must have agreed with her on the length of time they hadn't seen each other, because he attacked her lips like a wildfire. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, massaging it roughly to hers.

Elena's hand slipped down towards his pants, unbuttoning it.

She knew they had to be fast here.

She jumped up to wrap her legs around him, grateful that she was wearing a skirt. No reason to go through a whole lot of trouble here!

Damon leaned her back against one of the shelves. One of his hands snaked down towards her centre, touching her intimately.

Elena almost laughed at the situation they got themselves in. How 'Grey's Anatomy' of them! Having sex in a supply closet. She just guessed rooms like this really did see all the action!

Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt when she felt his member press against her.

"I don't have a condom on me," he rasped suddenly.

She could hear him trying to control his breathing. He thought they couldn't go through with it. But he was having a hard time stopping himself. She could tell by the hot kisses he kept on giving her. The way his hands squeezed her thighs. The way he rubbed against her.

Time to put him out of his misery.

"I have one in my purse. It dropped down towards the floor."

She laughed at the sheer look of relief on his face.

He disentangled himself from her and reached for her purse, quickly finding the condom.

She jumped back into his arms, ready to feel him like that again.

"This one had to be fast, sweetie," he told her.

Elena agreed with him, and kissed his lips to reassure him.

She then felt him pressing against her folds, causing her head to rear back. She was one thrust away from reaching that heavenly place.

And then he pushed forward.

Her mouth opened in a silent scream.

This man was truly made for her. He fit her in every way possible. Her eyes rolled back in her head as he began to move.

She clawed her nails down his back as he continued to thrust fiercely.

"Damon..oh Damon!" Elena cried out.

The shelves behind them rattled with the force of their lovemaking.

She rolled her hips back against him, aiding in the already delicious friction between them. She shot one hand behind her, to grab onto the shelf above her. The other hand buried itself in his hair. This way she could aid in the movements better.

She thrust hard back against him, feeling her legs begin to quiver. She was so close.

"Fuck, Elena!" he almost shouted.

His hand reached between them to touch her button. It sent her flying. Damon wasn't too far behind her. He thrust one..twice.. and then he was gone.

"Damn!"Damon breathed in her ear, once he came down from his high.

Elena agreed wholeheartedly. That was the best one yet.

Their bliss got interrupted with an incessant banging on the door. Elena's heart stopped cold as she watched someone pull the handle down….

**Uh oh! Are they going to get busted? And by who? Please review!**

**Twitter: /#!/Sandy1983b**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Damon quickly pulled away from Elena and hoisted up his pants, while Elena almost fell to the floor. The door handle was almost down now and Elena's heart was pounding in her throat.

"Damn interns! Always screwing around in MY hospital!" they heard the person outside mumble.

Elena hid behind Damon, relieved that she was wearing a skirt. It covered her naked parts.

A woman in her thirties entered.

"All right, kids! Playtime is over!" she hollered.

The woman stood dumbfounded as she watched Damon fastening his pants.

"Doctor Salvatore.. I am so sorry! I didn't know you were in here," she stumbled over her words.

"That's all right, Faye. If you would excuse me," Damon calmly said.

Elena peered over Damon's shoulder and watched the woman blushing hard and almost running from the supply closet.

It was obvious to her that Damon was her superior.

And that was a good thing for now. She just hoped that the woman held such respect for her 'Doctor Salvatore', that she wouldn't go blabbing to people.

Damon ran a hand through his hair.

"That was close!" he said, a little out of breath.

Elena nodded.

"But I hid behind your back. She could barely see me. And it sounded like you are her superior. She'll stay quiet," she said reassuringly.

Damon didn't look convinced.

"I might be her superior, but nurses still talk. I just hope she doesn't talk to the wrong people."

Elena sighed.

"It was probably a dumb idea to do this at the hospital anyway. I've been watching way too much 'Grey's Anatomy.'"

Damon smiled at her words.

"When will I see you again?" she said with a pout.

Damon leaned over and kissed her protruding bottom lip.

"I'm free this weekend. You could come over?" he suggested.

Elena's face brightened.

"Oh, I definitely will! Now, I won't stall you from your work any longer. Get on out of here 'Doctor Salvatore!'"

Damon finished the buttons on his doctor's coat and headed for the exit, but Elena stopped him at the door.

"One last kiss," she breathed.

She crashed her lips into his, while her hands latched onto his hair.

The kiss quickly spiralled out of control.

Elena found herself moaning, and sucking on his tongue in no time.

"Elena!" Damon warned between kisses.

Elena pulled back, disappointed.

"Yeah, I know. I just wanted to give you something to remember me by," she flirted.

Damon waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Trust me. You don't need to give me anything to remember you by. I remember you just fine."

They smiled at each other. Then, Damon left the supply room.

A few weeks later, Elena found herself feeling rather cranky.

Damon's work was constantly in their way. And when he did have some time off, her father always claimed him. She rarely saw him.

How were they supposed to build up this relationship if they were constantly apart?

She wanted to do couple-y things! She wanted to go to the movies. She wanted to have long and leisure talks. Heck, she wanted to actually SLEEP in his bed for once!

When they were together, they were constantly rushed. Either she had to be home on time, or he was paged by the hospital. It sucked!

Therefore, she was in a foul mood today.

She had called him and asked if he was free. But apparently, her father had beaten her to the punch again. She was beginning to detest her father. He was stealing her boyfriend!

But she refused to feel sorry for herself. So she had called Caroline and asked her to come over. Which was why they were now making snacks together.

"So this secret relationship is not going the way you want it to go?" Caroline wanted to know.

Elena scowled.

"You know, secret relationships have an upside and a downside. The upside is that the secret dating thing is sexy. The downside is that I barely get him to myself. I want to show him off, but I can't!" she complained.

Caroline smirked.

"Still, you are screwing a hot, older guy. Which I envy you for. I mean, guys our age? They're like children. Ugh! I would give anything to date an older man. Does your boyfriend have a friend?" she inquired.

"Caroline!" Elena warned her.

Caroline feigned innocence.

"What? For once, I would actually like to hook up with someone that has a few years of experience under his belt! Someone that actually knows what he's doing!"

Elena just smiled and shook her head.

"But you still haven't told me who he is. I'm dying of curiosity here! Can't you at least show a picture, so I can see for myself how hot he is?" Caroline pressed.

"Nope," was all Elena said.

"Come on! You know I would never blab a secret of yours!" Caroline tried again.

Elena looked at her pointedly.

"Okay, so that was ONE time. But I swear to keep my mouth shut this time. Please!"

Caroline gave Elena her best puppy-dog eyes.

Right at that moment, the front door opened and her father walked in with no one other then her secret himself.

Elena almost dropped her salad fork in shock.

What were they doing here? She thought Damon had told her they were going out. Damn! With both her father and Caroline here, she would have to watch her every action towards him.

"Hey there, Elena. Caroline. Don't let us interrupt you. Our local bar was closed. So we're just going to play some poker in the living room. Don't mind us," her father ignorantly said.

Damon's eyes caught hers apologetically. Elena smiled weakly at him, letting him know it was okay.

Caroline, having an eye for gorgeous men of course, smiled widely at him. Elena would even go so far as to say she positively winked at Damon.

Elena found herself fuming.

"You know, your father's friend is pretty hot! Maybe he could be my older man," Caroline sighed dreamily.

"No way, Caroline!" Elena snapped at her friend.

"Why not?" Caroline pouted.

Elena glared at her.

"Just..no."

Right at that moment, Damon gave her a look from across the living room. It was quick. But it was reserved only for lovers.

Elena felt her heart began to thump at the gesture and she couldn't help but stare back at him.

"O MY GOD!" Caroline suddenly screeched.

It was so loud, everyone turned to look at her.

"Everything okay, Caroline?" Grayson asked her, his eyebrows raised.

"Sorry, Mr. Gilbert. Elena just revealed some gossip to me," Caroline quickly said.

She then grabbed onto Elena's elbow and dragged her in a corner somewhere.

"Caroline, what the..?" Elena said, a little mad.

"It's him, isn't it?" Caroline hissed.

Elena felt her heart dropping. Had she guessed already? Was she that obvious?

"Who? What?" she feigned innocence.

"Don't play dumb with me! You are screwing your father's best friend!" Caroline threw in her face.

Elena felt herself begin to blush. O why did her body always betray her?

"Caroline..," she stammered.

Caroline grabbed onto her elbow again and dragged her up the stairs towards her bedroom. There, she slammed the door shut and ordered Elena to sit down.

And then she began to pace.

"Are you out of your freaking mind!" she hollered at her.

Elena wanted to say something. But all that left her mouth were tiny squeaks.

"Elena, I'm all for you behaving reckless for once in your perfect life. But this is bordering on dangerous! Did you not think this through?"

Elena felt tears begin to burn behind her eyes. She knew this relationship would earn some looks. She knew they would be judged. But she did not expect this from her best friend. Her friend, that had invented the book on doing risky things.

"I'm in love with him, Caroline," Elena began to cry.

Caroline softened a bit at her outburst.

She let out a sigh and set down next to Elena on the bed.

"Sweetie, you are in over your head here. There are too many problems that could come from this relationship."

Elena head snapped up in Caroline's direction, causing her hair to whip around her face.

"Don't you think I know that? That WE know that! God, we even had a few months of separation! Damon was hoping to get over these feelings. But they are too strong, Caroline. And I'm not going to sit here and let you judge me. You should be on my side! I covered for so much of the shit that you pulled and never judged or questioned you. Why can't you do the same for me?" she threw in Caroline's face.

Caroline turned quiet for a second. She seemed to think it over for a second.

"All right, then. I never meant to hurt you. And I really hope this works out for the both of you. But I'm just afraid you're in for a rough road ahead. You're my friend. I worry about you," she explained her actions.

Elena smiled through her tears.

"Thank you."

Caroline nodded at her.

"So what do you need me to do?" she asked.

Elena had a good idea.

"You know, it's actually a good thing now that you know. You can cover for us whenever we're together. I was never able to actually have a nice and romantic evening alone with him. I was never able to sleep over. Can you do that for us? Could you cover up when I say to my father that I'm sleeping over at your house?"

Caroline bit her lip and Elena waited anxiously.

"Fine, I'll do that."

Elena released a breath she didn't even know she had been holding. She threw her arms around her friend and squealed.

"Thank you so much!"

Caroline smiled at her.

"Just be careful."

A few hours later, they were already putting their plan into motion. When Damon went home for the night, they okayed it with Grayson that Elena would spend her weekend at the Forbes' residence.

Caroline's mother Liz, would be out of town, so that was perfect. Nobody that could check if their story was true.

Elena packed her most important belongings, kissed her father goodbye and climbed into Caroline's car. She had agreed to drop her off at Damon's, so her own car wouldn't be spotted there.

They had thought of everything.

"Do you have everything you need?" Caroline inquired as they pulled up at Damon's place.

Elena smiled and nodded.

"Yes, thank you," she stressed again.

"You're welcome, sweetie. Have a great weekend. I want details when I talk to you on Sunday," Caroline winked at her.

Elena watched her drive away for a few seconds, before heading towards Damon's apartment.

He looked positively baffled when she showed up on his doorstep. It was obvious he had already gone down for the night.

His hair was sticking up a bit and he was yawning as he let her enter.

Elena immediately sauntered over towards his bedroom, pulling off her clothes as she went.

Damon just watched her with curious eyes.

"Elena," he began. "I'm sorry, but I'm too tired for this right now."

Elena dropped her bag with toiletries by his bed, turning to look at him.

"I'm not here for sex, Damon," she pointed out.

She saw Damon watching her confusingly as she climbed into his bed.

"Then what..? I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound like a total ass here, but what exactly do you want to do, then?" he stammered.

Elena snuggled into his already warm bed and sighed.

"I want to sleep with you," she said, unfazed.

Damon rubbed his forehead. Obviously he still wasn't getting it.

"But you don't mean..?"

Elena shook her head, laughing.

"Damon, I want to SLEEP with you," she clarified.

Damon walked around towards the other side of the bed and climbed in.

Elena took off her last piece of garment, her t-shirt, and was completely naked now, save for her underwear. She scooted over to where he was lying on his side, watching her, and pressed her skin against his.

"Hold me," she whispered.

She felt him wrap his arms around her and all was right with the world again. Here, in this bed, they weren't forbidden lovers. Here, the world would not judge them, for this was their own private little place. Here, they were Damon and Elena. Two people that were in love and wanted to be together…..

**This was a little different than other chapters. I also wanted to point out how a secret relationship can be full of bumpy roads. It isn't all hearts and roses. And someone knows about them now. Will Caroline be able to keep her mouth shut? **

**I'm sorry about the people that were hoping Grayson would catch them. I felt it was too soon. But don't worry. It WILL happen. And shit is going to hit the fan! Are you ready…?**

**Please review!**

**Twitter: /#!/Sandy1983b**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 **

The sunlight streamed through the window basking the lovers on the bed in a soft, warm glow. They were holding each other tightly, happy to be snuggled into each other.

Both were still sleeping.

The girl roused first, stretching her arms above her head, yawning. When she looked at the man sleeping quietly next to her, a smile of pure happiness graced her features.

This was heaven.

Elena crawled closer to Damon (if that were even possible!), wrapped her arm around his torso and stroked his naked back. She watched as his slightly parted lips breathed little puffs of air through them.

She had always wanted moments like this for them but she had to enjoy it while it lasted. Times like these would always be rare until they were comfortable enough outing them to the world.

Elena examined his relaxed features, tangling their legs together.

He was so beautiful.

He had the body of a god, eyes that could melt the coldest of walls and midnight black hair that paled the moon.

And he was hers.

She leaned forward, kissing his eyelids softly. It caused them to flutter for a moment.

"What are you doing," his rumbling voice resounded.

Elena proceeded to kiss his face.

"You're awake. Good. Well, I was admiring my boyfriend," Elena quipped.

Damon opened his eyes completely now, staring at her.

"You like what you see then, huh?" he teased her with a wink.

Elena rolled his eyes.

"Barely awake and he's already cocky."

Damon grinned at her.

Elena kissed his lips and turned serious again.

"I long for the days we're not forbidden anymore; where this is not a stolen moment. I just want everybody to know and be okay with it. I want to kiss you in public, I want to kiss you in front of my father and have him smiling at the gesture," she confessed.

Damon searched her face for a second.

"You want a lot of things," he tried to lighten the mood.

"Don't you want that too, Damon? Don't you want to come over to my house and hold me, knowing it's all right?"

Damon sighed.

"We will have that one day, Elena. Think about that. One day, that will happen. But for right now, let's just enjoy this moment we have together and just think about each other," he said to her.

Elena nodded.

Her stomach began to growl and she blushed at the noise.

Great!

Here she was, lying in bed with the most gorgeous man alive and her body was producing the most embarrassing sounds!

Damon erupted in laughter.

"I guess you're in desperate need of breakfast."

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and reached for his sweatpants. He then padded over towards the kitchen bare-chested.

Elena followed him, pulling on one of his shirts. It covered her all the way to the centre of her thighs.

While Damon was making delicious scrambled eggs in the kitchen, Elena found the opportunity to snoop around a bit.

She wanted to get to know him; she wanted to know what books he liked to read, what music he listened to.

Her eyes searched over some shelves, pulling out random books. There was a lot of medical stuff too, of course. But she quickly learned that Damon liked older books.

Like "Call of the wild" by Jack London.

She wasn't sure about his musical taste though. There were a lot of Indie bands on his shelves. Bands she had never even heard of so she couldn't really tell if he listened to good stuff.

"If you're done snooping, I've got some great eggs for you," Damon interrupted her.

He placed two plates of scrambled eggs on the table before he pulled back a chair, telling her to sit down.

Elena glanced happily at all the things he put on the table.

Not just eggs but also bread, freshly squeezed orange juice and coffee. He was really taking care of her.

During their meal, they talked about a lot of things; things they wanted out of life.  
>What places they still wanted to see of the world; interests that they had.<p>

When they were done, Elena felt she knew a little more about her secret lover.

They wound up doing the dishes together. Even if it was a horrible, mundane chore, Elena was happily doing it. Because she wanted to do domestic things like this with him. She wanted to experience what life with him was like.

He quickly turned doing the dishes into something fun though.

Out of nowhere, he sloshed a handful of dishwater at her, soaking her t-shirt.

"Hey!" she yelled at him.

He just grinned at her cheekily.

She grabbed a small cup out of the dishwater and threw the water in it, over his head.

Droplets were trickling down the side of his face, while Elena clutched her sides in laughter.

"You're going to pay!" he growled at her.

They continued throwing water at each other until they, and the kitchen included, were soaking wet.

Damon wrestled Elena to the floor, holding her wrists over her head and pressing his hips into hers so she wouldn't go anywhere.

"Say you give in!" he ordered her.

Elena stuck her chin out.

"Never!"

Damon grabbed a sponge out of nowhere and wrung it out over her t-shirt.

Elena shivered a bit because the water had turned cold now.

Her wet t-shirt was clinging to her like a second skin and her being cold caused her nipples to poke through the wet material.

Damon noticed.

What was once a playful atmosphere turned into a heavy one, filled with tension.

Only now were they aware of the position they were in.

Elena began to breathe heavily, her chest heaving.

"Damon," she whispered in a breathy voice.

Damon snapped.

He crashed his lips into hers, consuming her with flaming passion.

He kissed her ferociously, one of his hands releasing her wrist to wander down towards her breasts. He palmed one through the wet material, squeezing it softly.

Elena gasped against his lips.

This man could set her on fire at record speed.

Damon's lips released hers and trailed a path over the skin of her throat, down to where he was massaging her breast. His lips latched onto the nipple and sucked it hard through her shirt.

Elena released a guttural groan.

How could doing the dishes turn into something like this so quickly with him?

Damon was done with her clinging t-shirt. He grabbed the material and pulled it over her head.

She was now naked in front of him, save for her soaked underwear.

When he finally released her other wrist, her hands flew to his chest. She needed to feel his skin under her hands. She needed to feel him quiver.

She stroked his silky, but at the same time rock hard abdomen, feeling his muscles flex underneath her hands.

Damon raised himself on his elbows, releasing her for a second, so she could reach for his sweatpants.

Elena wasted no time. She untied his drawstrings and pulled the material down over his rear.

He was already hard and ready for her.

But Damon wasn't ready to go there yet, he had something else in mind first.

His lips grazed the skin of her belly, his stubble tickling it.

And then he went even lower.

He licked at the edge of her underwear, laving her pubic bone.

Elena squirmed underneath him.

"Damon, please!" she begged.

Damon kissed her through her damp underwear and Elena's hips flew up at the sudden contact. Her body needed this.

He continued teasing her through the soft fabric, kissing and licking up and down, before taking the material off completely.

He immediately attacked her sensitive tissue, his tongue taking her higher and higher.

Elena could do nothing more but latch onto his hair with both hands, guiding him to where she wanted his talented mouth.

She raised her hips into him, seeking completion.

Unfortunately, he stopped just short of it. He raised himself above her, staring into her eyes.

Elena scowled at him.

Why did he stop?

As payback, she latched onto his sex and gave it a hard squeeze.

Damon choked and swatted her hand away.

"Don't behave so spoiled. You'll get what's coming to you," he warned her.

Before she had time for a comeback, he had already positioned himself at her entrance and surged forward in one hard thrust.

"Damon!" she screamed.

Damon gave her almost no time to recover. He pounded into her hard, impaling her over and over again.

It felt amazing.

She dug her nails into the skin of his naked back and wrapped her legs around him, causing him to slide in even deeper.

She watched as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

He was completely lost to the world.

She found herself matching his rhythm thrust for thrust, her skin grazing over the kitchen floor. But she didn't care about that. All she cared about, were the lustful noises that came from deep within Damon's throat. They became louder and louder as he neared his crisis.

He reached between them and flicked her clit a few times. He wanted her to topple over the edge right along with him … and he achieved his goal.

While Elena fell apart completely, Damon's rhythm faltered. He thrust hard a few more times, before emptying himself completely into her.

"Fuck!" Damon cursed all of a sudden, still breathing harshly.

Elena startled a bit at his outburst.

"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"I completely forget about protection! Dammit!"

He rolled off of her and onto his back, slinging an arm over his eyes.

Elena just smiled at him.

"It's okay, Damon. I'm on the pill," she reassured him.

Damon peered at her out from under his arm.

"Still. It's not very smart. We're already walking a fine line with this relationship. We don't need to add other problems to the mix."

Elena laid her head on his chest and sighed.

"Don't worry, Damon. Nothing is going to happen," she said to him.

They lay there like that for a few more seconds, enjoying the afterglow. In spite of Damon's outburst, this was perfect.

"I love you," Elena found herself whispering to him.

It was already out, before she had a chance to stop it. It just felt so natural.

She raised herself up to gauge his reaction.

He was staring at her, but she couldn't read his eyes.

Would he think this was too soon? She bit her lip and waited for him to say something, anything.

"I love you too," he smiled at her.

Elena released the breath she didn't even realise she had been holding and a relieved smile graced her features. She leaned forward to kiss him.

Unfortunately, their blissful moment was interrupted by the shrill ringing of her cell phone. She leapt from Damon's body and ran towards it. If it was her father, she needed to tell him everything was fine and she still was at Caroline's.

"Hello?" she said a little out of breath.

"Elena, I'm so sorry!" the voice of Caroline Forbes wailed into the phone.

Elena felt her stomach drop. That really didn't sound good!

"Caroline, what's wrong?"

Elena wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. She had a gut feeling about this. Her relationship with Damon was about to change. She just knew it.

"I don't know how this all could go so wrong! Your father realised you forgot some toiletries and wanted to drop them off at my house on his way to work. I was so spooked when he showed up on my doorstep! He just walked in and asked where you were. O god, Elena! He noticed you weren't there! He blew up in my face! He demanded to know why we would lie to him about our sleepover. He demanded to know where you where!" Caroline rambled.

Elena felt her heart positively beat right through her ribcage.

"You didn't tell him where I was, did you?" Elena panicked.

She was met with silence on the other end of the phone.

"Caroline?"

The phone call was interrupted by an incessant banging on the front door.

"Damon?" Grayson Gilbert's voice could be heard from the other side of the door. "Open up. I need to talk to you."

Elena dropped the phone from her hand and stared at Damon with a pale face.

"Oh my god!"

**Yep, the shit really is going to hit the fan! Hold on to your seats ;)**

**So I uploaded both of my stories. They were both finished and I couldn't decide which one to be up first. So I give you both! Don't forget to read both, though! And review ;)**

**Twitter: Sandy1983**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Damon almost felt his knees giving out from under him, as he heard the voice of Grayson Gilbert on the other side of his front door. An enormous panic was beginning to build inside of him.

He should've known it would come to this somehow. Taking the risk of being with Elena Gilbert, meant risking her father's wrath.

And said wrath had arrived on his doorstep.

"Damon, I know you're there! Open up!"

He glanced at Elena, whose eyes had turned wide with fear.

"What are we going to do?" she squeaked.

Damon honestly wasn't sure. This wasn't how he had wanted things to go.

"I guess I have to talk to him," he finally said to her.

He pulled on his sweatpants and made his way over towards what would probably be his doom.

"Wait!" Elena screeched behind him.

Damon halted.

"He can't find me here. He'll kill you for sure!" Elena panicked.

Damon let out a humourless laugh.

"He's going to kill me anyway."

Elena frantically shook her head.

"I have to hide!"

Damon watched her dash into his bedroom, closing his door. He honestly didn't see how her hiding could save them. Grayson was obviously here for a reason and he had a good feeling on what that reason was.

With a thudding heart he finally opened the door.

Grayson revealed nothing as he stared Damon up and down, taking in his half naked appearance.

"Do you mind if I come in?"

It sounded like a question, but it wasn't. Because Grayson pushed past Damon without waiting for his answer.

Damon watched him carefully, as he began to pace in his living room.

"We're friends, right Damon?" Grayson began. "I mean, you would tell me if some important stuff was happening that I wasn't aware of?"

Damon felt himself become really small under Grayson's scrutinizing gaze. He found himself swallowing with difficulty.

This was it. The final showdown, the end of their friendship.

"What's going on, Gray?"

He wasn't going to beat around the bush here. If Grayson knew something. If he wanted to confront him, he might as well do it now and get it over with. No reason to drag this out.

Grayson walked over to where he was standing.

"I had an interesting conversation with Caroline Forbes this morning. You see, my daughter told me she was going to spend the night at her place. Imagine my surprise when I went over there about an hour ago and didn't find her there. I did find a scared Caroline, however. She was so afraid of me, her lips moved on their own accord. That girl talks a lot, but I'm glad she does."

Grayson still wasn't saying it. But Damon felt it coming from a mile away.

He could sense how high strung his best friend was. He was ready to snap at any minute. He was just waiting for Damon to say the wrong thing; to make the wrong move.

Damon felt like a lamb in a lion's cage and Grayson was pacing around him as if he were stalking his prey.

"My daughter lied to me, Damon. And my daughter NEVER lies to me. You see, I always pride myself in the fact that I have such a perfect little girl. She does well in school. She stays out of trouble. She talks to me about her problems. I never had to worry about her at all."

Grayson stopped his pacing and looked Damon dead in the eye.

"Until now."

Damon almost felt sick with nerves. He had never seen this side of his best friend before. Grayson Gilbert was almost too friendly for his own good.

But not this time.

"Gray…"Damon almost squeaked.

Grayson just held up his hand to silence him and carried on his little game.

"The fact that my daughter lied wasn't the biggest surprise, though. What really threw me off, was what Caroline said next. She said that she dropped Elena off here. Now why would my daughter go to your place? Why would my daughter want to go to see my best friend? And why would she lie about it? Why would she tell me she was staying over at Caroline's, when in reality she was heading over to your apartment? I'm curious, Damon."

Damon gulped again. His throat felt too dry to talk. He didn't trust his own voice.

"I'm waiting, Damon. I'm dying to know your answer," Grayson said menacingly.

Damon watched as his friend clenched and unclenched his fists at his side. There wasn't anything right to say right know. Everything that would come out of his mouth would be the trigger to set Grayson off.

"ANSWER ME!" Grayson burst out suddenly.

Damon took a deep breath, ready to take what was coming to him.

"I love her, Gray," he whispered.

BAM!

Out of nowhere a blinding pain seared the side of his face and his head snapped back.

Grayson had punched him.

"You sorry excuse for a best friend! I take you under my wing at the hospital. I teach you everything I know. And how do you repay me? You defile my daughter!"

Damon rubbed his jaw and stared up at the man who was once his best friend. There really wasn't anything he could do except let Grayson have him.

"You breeched my trust here! How did you do it, huh? How could you look me in the eye, knowing you were lying to me? How could you hook up with MY daughter? I know you go through a lot of women. Were you all out? Did you have to start at the next generation?" Grayson ranted.

Now that Damon wasn't going to take!

"Wait a minute, here! Elena is not just some random girl to pick up at a bar! When I met her, I began to feel things for her. I knew it was not a very smart thing to do, but I couldn't help it. I fought to stay away from her. I pushed her away for months!" he tried to explain.

"Well, isn't that noble of you! You waited a few months! Boy, do I feel better now!"

Damon sighed.

"I'm anything but noble here. I know that. I know I should've stayed away but I couldn't. Besides, it was your daughter that refused to stay away from me. She was always up in my face about our feelings for each other. In the end, I caved."

Grayson got up in his face again.

"Are you saying this is all my daughter's fault? You son of a bitch!"

Damon put his hands up in defence.

"No, that's not what I meant at all! We're both at fault here. We both should've known better. But we fell in love, Gray. There wasn't anything that we could do about it," he said honestly.

Grayson began to pace again.

"There was something you could've done about it. You're older than her. She's just starting out in life."

Damon nodded.

"I know that."

"So if she can't make the right decisions, you're going to have to," Grayson told him.

Damon stayed silent and watched as Grayson stalked over towards his bedroom. Before he could do anything about it, his friend had already pulled open the door, revealing a tearful Elena.

"Get dressed! You're coming home with me!" Grayson bellowed at his daughter.

Elena raised her chin defiantly.

"NO!" she screamed in her father's face.

"Elena, seriously. You do not want to mess with me right now! You disappointed me in many ways today. So get dressed and come home with me. You are grounded until further notice," he said in an icy voice.

Elena was ready to protest again.

"Go with your father, Elena," Damon stopped her.

Both Elena and Grayson blinked up at him, surprised.

Finally, Elena relented.

"Fine!"

She slammed the door in her father's face, so she could get dressed, leaving Grayson and Damon alone again.

"You're not off the hook here, either. Don't think because you backed me up with Elena, that we're okay here," Grayson explained himself.

Damon nodded silently.

"I'm well aware of that."

"You stabbed me in the back, Damon. I could make your life a living hell if I wanted to. Right now, I'm so angry that I don't know what to do with you. But when my anger settles down, be prepared for some action. Whether it be legal, professional or personal. I'm coming for you," Grayson threatened.

Damon swallowed something. He nodded again.

Elena chose that moment to open his bedroom door, all dressed and ready. She shot daggers at her father, before walking past him and over towards Damon.

Damon warned her with his eyes not to try anything right now.

"Don't worry Damon. We'll survive this. We always survive," she whispered to him.

Her eyes began to water and she stifled a sob, knowing this was the last they were going to see of each other for a while.

"Come on, Elena. We're going home," Grayson told his daughter.

Damon watched as they stepped out of his front door, both turning around one last time. One looking at him with a look full of love, the other a look of disgust.

Then, the door was slammed shut, leaving Damon alone with his thoughts.

He sank down on his couch, burying his head in his hands.

This was going to get ugly…

**A/N: This update came faster than anticipated. I have a busy week ahead of me and didn't expect to post until at least Saturday. But I had to deal with some tragic news last night, which caused me to feel rotten. I tried to go to work today, but failed miserably. And that's why I ended up going home and pouring my heart out in this story. I really hope that you like it. **

**The shit is still hitting the fan ;) And Grayson is not even close to being done with Damon. So what does that mean for Damon and Elena? You'll see it in the next chapter. **

**Yes, I stole some lines from some shows again. Go and find ;)**

**Please review!**

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	14. Chapter 14

Chappie 14 FF

"Hello?"

Elena sighed as soon as she heard his voice on the phone. It had been days since she had talked to him. Days, since her entire life went circling down the drain. Her heart was missing its owner, her body ached for his.

She needed him.

"Damon," she squeaked, the tears already leaking from her eyes.

She could almost hear him gulp.

"Elena."

Just the way he spoke her name was enough for now. Her heart wanted to soar through the phone to touch his. She longed to be held by him; to be comforted by him. But this was all she was getting, for now.

"Elena, I don't think this is very smart. We're already on thin ice with your father as it is. We don't need to give him any more ammunition," he began.

Elena wiped the wetness from her cheeks, feeling herself becoming angry at his words. Here she was, risking everything just to hear him speak, and he told her she wasn't smart?

"Don't you miss me?" she threw at him.

She could hear him sighing in the phone.

"Every day," was his answer.

A smile cracked through on her face. No other two words could be more beautiful to her at this moment.

"How are things over there?" he asked her.

Elena wanted to scowl. Things were awful! She wasn't speaking to her best friend, she wasn't speaking to her father and her brother had no idea why the atmosphere was so tense in their house. And her mother tended to side with her father. Basically, she had no one.

"I think you can pretty much imagine how things are around here," she therefore said.

"Yeah, I think I can guess. Things aren't very good over here either. Your father doesn't really want to talk to me these days. He avoids me like the plague. When I do run into him somewhere, I just get a dirty look," Damon told her.

"Are you still grounded?"

Elena groaned out loud.

"I have to go home straight away after school. If I want to hang with friends, they have to come over here. I can't go anywhere. It's like a prison! Not that I have too many friends to hang out with these days. I can't believe my best friend outed me!"

Elena still remembered the talk she had had with Caroline after this whole thing had blown up in her face.

"_Elena, I am so sorry," Caroline had tried to apologize in the school hallway. _

_Elena had glared at her. _

"_Couldn't you have lied, Caroline? Couldn't you have said that I was out with some boy our age? My father wouldn't have thrown such a fit. Well, maybe a little. But not like this. I trusted you. You breached that trust," she had told her once best friend. _

_Caroline had looked down at the ground, defeated. _

"_He scared me, Elena. Your father can be quite menacing when he wants to be."_

_Elena just shook her head. _

"_Still. I always covered up for you. You couldn't do the same for me and now both my relationships with my boyfriend and my father are ruined."_

_With those words, she had walked away._

"Don't be so hard on your friend. I am sure Grayson practically wrung it out of her. The poor girl didn't stand a chance," Damon tried to defend Caroline.

Elena bit her lip.

"Still, she could have covered up for me. She could've said that I was out with someone else. She ruined your friendship with my father."

"I'm the one that ruined my friendship, Elena. Like you trusted Caroline, Grayson trusted me. I could've handled things differently. Maybe that's why I can understand your friend a little. We ALL could have handled things differently," Damon mused.

"I don't think there was a right way for this situation," Elena sighed.

Damon stayed silent for a moment. Elena really didn't like it when he stayed quiet.

"Maybe there was a right way. Maybe we should've fought harder against this," he stated.

Elena rolled her eyes.

"Please do not tell me we're back to THAT! You can't fight love, Damon. I want to be with you. I love you," she repeated the words from days ago.

"And I love you. But sometimes love isn't enough, Elena. Sometimes the odds are against you. Your father told me that I had to be the adult one here. That I had to make some hard decisions. Maybe he was right."

Elena's heart almost stopped beating at his words. He couldn't possibly mean.. NO!

"You are NOT breaking up with me!" she snarled into the phone.

"Elena," Damon tried.

"No, Damon! I can't believe you! After everything… Are you scared? I never thought you to be so weak. My father takes a stand against you and you scurry off with your tail between you legs? I don't think so. Be a man and stand up to him," she yelled at him.

"This isn't about being a man, Elena. This is about what's best for you. If I take a step back now, you get to restore things in your life," Damon said.

Elena wanted to smash the phone against the wall!

"You know what? You are not breaking up with me over the phone. I need you to say it to my face. I need you to look me in the eye and tell me that you're going to be able to walk away. Where are you right now? Because I'm coming for you," she spat.

"You're grounded, remember? How are you going to get to me?"

"I'm in my bedroom right now. It's late. I'll say goodnight to my parents and climb out the window when they think I'm asleep," Elena flat out told him. "Come to the bleachers at the football field of my school. It's deserted at night. We'll talk there."

She heard Damon sighing.

"It's not safe to go out at night," he said.

Elena smirked.

"All the more reason to show up, Damon. You don't want me to be there all alone, now do you? Because I'm going there right now," she blackmailed him.

She knew it wasn't smart, responsible or mature of her. But she was desperate here! She hadn't seen her boyfriend in over a week and now he wanted to break up. This was not happening!

She hung up the phone before he could protest or say anything else.

Just as she was getting ready for her plan, she could hear her father outside her bedroom door.

"Elena, can we talk?" she heard him asking through the closed door.

Great! Now he wanted to talk? He hadn't bothered all week and just as she was getting ready for Damon, he wanted to pour his guts out. Just great!

Elena opened her door and stared her father dead in the eye.

"Can I come in?" he said softly.

Elena felt her anger towards her father melt a little. He seemed like he really wanted to talk this time.

Therefore, she let him enter.

He sat down on her bed and looked up at her.

"Look, I know you probably think the worst of me right now. I grounded you for almost two weeks, I didn't allow you to socialize outside of this home. It's just that I couldn't trust you anymore. And that really hurt me. Jeremy was always the one we had to keep our eye on. We always let you do whatever you wanted because you never failed us. You took that freedom and abused it, Elena," her father explained.

Elena shook her head.

"I fell in love, Dad. I didn't abuse anything. Okay, I lied about my whereabouts this one time. And you immediately found out. But that's about it. I'm still that girl, Dad. I still am a straight A student, teachers love me, I stay on the right side of the track. My only fault was falling in love. I don't see why you could blame me so much for that," she shot back at him.

Grayson got up from her bed and cupped her cheek in his hand.

"You are my daughter and I love you. I would never blame you for falling in love. I blame you for lying to my face. You disappointed me," he said.

Elena bit her lip and looked down.

"You are still so young, honey. You still have so much to experience. Damon already experienced a lot of things in life. He's ahead of you. There is no way that this could ever work out. The age difference is too much."

Elena's head shot back up and she angrily glared at her father, swatting his hand away.

"You don't know that! You don't know what we are like when we're together. We accept each other. I have never been happier in my entire life," she tried to explain herself.

But Grayson was having none of that.

"I know that that is what it's like in the beginning. You want to spend every moment together. He's all you can see of tomorrow. But as time progresses, life will throw things your way. He's already in his thirties, Elena. In a few years, he'll probably want children. For him, that would be the right time. You would still be too young. You need to experience all the things teenagers experience. If you stay with him, you'll miss out on a lot of that."

Elena shook her head at him.

"You don't know anything. You don't know what we are like when we're together. You haven't seen us together. We could be an amazing couple, if the world would let us."

Grayson narrowed his eyes at her.

"I will give you your freedom back, Elena. But I won't have you seeing him again. I already called Damon about this. We can all carry on with our lives as if none of this ever happened. I won't follow through on the plans I had for Damon, if you agree to stay away from each other. It's that simple," he laid out his cards for her.

Elena could not believe this! No wonder Damon was backing down. Her father had given him an out!

"So that's it? You get to decide who I can and cannot love? You have to approve of my boyfriend? How is that for a life? I want to be able to make my own decisions here!" she yelled.

"You will be able to make your own decisions. And I promise not to interfere with your taste in men from now on. You can date whoever you want, just not Damon," he offered.

Elena was fuming! He was actually blackmailing them into staying away from each other!

"What does this mean for your friendship with Damon?" Elena wanted to know.

Grayson sighed.

"I think it's safe to say that our friendship is over. Damon knows that. I think I'm offering him a pretty fair deal here."

Elena pondered things over.

So if she wanted her freedom she needed to lie. Again. Because there was no way she was backing down!

"Fine, since Damon accepted the deal, I guess I'll have to do that too. If I can go out again, I promise to stay away," she said.

Grayson nodded, satisfied with her answer. He leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

"I am truly sorry for this, sweetheart. But in the end, I think you'll see I only had your best interest at heart."

With those words, her father left her bedroom.

Elena felt like screaming. Her father had both, her and Damon, with their backs against the wall. He wasn't backing down.

Well, she wasn't backing down either!

She said goodnight to her parents, made sure her bed looked as if someone was sleeping in it and climbed out of her window.

She needed to see him, she needed to hear all this from him face to face.

He was already waiting for her behind the bleachers once she got there. A relieved smile graced her features.

"You came," she breathed.

Damon nodded solemnly.

"I do not appreciate your approach here, though. Threatening to come out here alone didn't sit well with me. I only came to bring you back safely," he said.

Elena's smile fell from her face. Her Dad really had gotten him good.

"You can bring me back after I talked to you. Is it true what my Dad said? Are you accepting his deal? Are you going to stay away from me?" she asked.

Damon looked down at the ground and nodded.

"It's a pretty generous deal. He won't do anything if we agree to stay away from each other," he explained.

Elena started pacing.

"So that's it? You decided that my father's deal is more important than our love?"

"I can't love you, Elena. I have to do what's right."

Elena looked at him with a disgusted look on her face.

"So you traded me in for your freedom. You took the easy way out. Good to know I mean so little to you!" she spat in his face.

With those words she turned around, ready to walk away. But Damon whirled her back, grabbing her upper arm roughly.

"You mean the world to me. That's why I'm letting you go. Maybe we need to keep our distance for a while."

Elena felt the tears burning in her eyes.

"If this love is right, if it is strong enough, we will find each other again. That's what true love is all about. This doesn't have to be the end," he promised.

Salty tears were running down her cheeks now. Damon lifted his hands to wipe them with his thumbs.

"I'm not ready to say goodbye, Damon," she hiccupped.

Damon leaned his forehead against hers.

"Then don't say goodbye. Say: 'Until we meet again,'"

Elena wrapped her arms around him and hugged him fiercely.

"I want one last kiss. Please. I need to touch you one last time," she begged him.

Damon pulled back and looked at her.

"Please!" she begged through her tears.

Finally, Damon nodded.

His lips descended on hers.

When Elena felt the need behind his kiss, she knew that this was going to be desperate. They would pour all their need and grief into this.

Damon led her into the shadows under the bleachers and pulled off his jacket, laying her on it.

Elena wasted no time touching him. She needed to feel him under her fingertips. She wanted his skin against hers.

Damon laid down next to her, letting her explore his body. She needed to memorize every feature. She wanted to know every perfection and every flaw, before she let him go.

She quietly unbuttoned his blouse, revealing his skin to her feasting eyes.

He was so beautiful. Maybe that wasn't the right word to describe a man. But he really was drop dead gorgeous.

She pushed the material off of his shoulders completely and let her fingertips graze his nipples.

Excitement rushed through her, as she watched his head fall back with a sigh. It felt good to know that she was doing this to him.

Her fingers trailed lower, stopping at the waistline of his jeans.

She swallowed with difficulty as she popped open the button and slid down the zipper agonizingly slow.

Damon watched her actions with hooded eyes.

"Raise your hips," she whispered to him.

He complied willingly, raising his hips so she could pull it down and out of the way.

Damon was wearing those tight boxers that she had always loved. It hugged him in all the right ways and displayed his prominent bulge perfectly.

She bit her lip, reaching out to touch him through his underwear.

A low moan escaped his throat as she began to stroke him. It still amazed her how he could feel so soft and yet so hard.

When Damon reached out for her, Elena swatted his hands away.

"Don't. This one's for me," she told him.

This time, Damon was the one to lay back. He closed his eyes as her fingertips continued their quest. She stroked his powerful thighs, his rock hard abs, his nipples. Everywhere she could reach.

After a while, she followed the same path with her mouth.

Damon was positively squirming underneath her, his lips parted as soft sighs escaped them. It was a beautiful sight; one Elena wanted to remember for years from now. She didn't know how long they had to be apart.

She quickly removed her own clothes and pulled of Damon's boxers. When she finally laid down on top of him, feeling his skin on hers, she felt it. That complete feeling she only got when she was with him.

She could feel his heart pounding against hers as she leaned forward to kiss him, their chests crushed together. His tongue searched hers immediately.

He wrapped a hand behind her head, pulling her in and kissing her urgently. She could sense where that urgency was coming from. His member was intimately pressed against her folds.

Elena raised her hips up and down experimentally, causing his hardness to slide against her entrance.

"Please, Elena," he begged breathlessly.

Elena nodded. It was time.

She reached between them and guided him towards her entrance. Then, she raised her hips a little more and slid down onto him, agonizingly slow.

A groan escaped them both at the contact. Elena almost choked as she realised this would be the last time.

But there wasn't time for grief yet. This needed to be beautiful. This needed to be about them; about what they felt for each other.

Elena began to roll her hips in earnest. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back, enjoying the feel of them together.

The small grunts coming from Damon only spurred her on.

She circled her hips, before going up and down again. The slow rhythm was almost killing them. But soon enough, nature took over and Elena couldn't stop herself anymore.

Her rhythm sped up and before she knew it, she was bouncing on his sex.

"Elena," Damon groaned.

Elena would forever remember the way he spoke her name. Not just during sex, but also during intimate conversations. She loved the way it sounded on his lips. Like it was a prayer.

She rocked hard once, twice, and then it was over. She could feel him spilling inside of her, while bursts of white hot pleasure shot through her.

Afterwards, she laid in his arms for a few moments before getting up. She needed to get back before her parents would know she wasn't in her bedroom.

A pain nestled itself in her heart as she watched him cover up his skin again. She wasn't going to see it anymore after this.

He walked her back towards her house, stopping just around the corner.

"I'm going to miss you so much," she choked on her tears.

Damon took her in his arms one last time.

"I'll miss you too. So much."

He kissed her forehead before releasing her. Elena felt the cold settle in immediately. He wasn't going to hold her anymore.

"Damon…,"she whispered brokenly.

"Remember what we talked about. This isn't goodbye. What would you say to me again?"

Elena remembered.

"Until we meet again…"

**A/N: I am terribly sorry for the angst. But it needed to be done. I can't get to the good stuff, before letting them hit rock bottom first. They need to be built up again. They will be happy again! I promise :)**

**Now be a dear and hit that review button.**

**Twitter: Sandy1983**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

**A/N: I am really nervous about this chapter! I know it's been two weeks since I updated this story. But it I was constantly stuck with what I wanted to do with this. I had fun reading the reviews for last chapter, though. Everyone was speculating what would happen next. A few of you were right: there is a time jump. I hope you like it!**

Damon sauntered into the club, in desperate need for a night off. The beat was pulsing, bodies were grinding, booze was flowing.. It was everything he could have wished for at the moment.

Lately, he had just been working all day. He needed to loosen up a bit.

He spotted his friend waving at him from the bar. Alaric Saltzman was a guy with a bit of a rough exterior, but he had been the best friend he could have asked for these past two years. Plus, he wasn't afraid to call him out on his crap.

"Your bourbon is already waiting for you," Ric told him as soon as he sat down.

Damon sighed and practically hugged the glass.

"You are a lifesaver!" he sighed.

"Is it really that bad?" Ric asked him.

Damon nodded.

"Lost three patients today. Not the best way to get me in a good mood," he said crankily.

Ric turned to look at him.

"You work too much, man! Take a step back sometimes!"

Damon eyed his glass eagerly.

"I know. But honestly, what else can I do? Work is all I've got."

And that was the sad truth. After the shit had hit the fan with Grayson and Elena two years ago, he buried himself in other people's misery. It would take his mind off of his own. When he met Ric, they had both been drowning their sorrows in alcohol. They had become instant friends. Apparently, his bitch wife Isobel was giving him one hellish divorce. Damon had needed the distraction and had helped him through the ordeal. It had made him forget about his own, sad existence.

He still worked at Mystic Falls General, he still spoke to Grayson when it was work related, but both he and Elena were out of his personal life. Sure, Grayson was civil. But that was about it. And Elena…

His heart ached, just thinking about her. He had followed through on his promise not to see her again. A fact that had pissed her off royally in the beginning. He would sometimes run into her and he could see the naked longing on her face. But he needed to stay away. When she had realised he wasn't coming back to her, she had become angry at him. She had accused him of giving up; of not fighting anymore. And then she had disappeared from his life completely.

The last time he saw her had been a year ago. She had packed up and had just disappeared to Richmond to study medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University.

He sometimes still found himself wondering how she was doing. From what he occasionally heard through the grapevine, she rarely came home anymore.

She had found a new life.

He should have been happy about that. He should have been happy that she was doing well now. That she was moving on to a great new life. He should be happy that he was probably the furthest from her mind.

But he wasn't.

A part of him wanted her to want him. He wanted her to be desperate for him. He was being selfish about this whole thing, he knew that. But he didn't care. He missed her.

"Work is not all you've got, man! You've got a nice apartment, you've got a hot car and more importantly, you've got bourbon," Alaric winked at Damon's glass of booze.

Damon chuckled a bit.

"We're getting too old for this. I'm surprised they even let us in this club! This place is surrounded by teenagers, who think we're elderly," he found himself joking.

Alaric turned in his seat, looking at the dancing crowd.

"Even the elderly have the right to get drunk!" he shot back.

"Here, here!" Damon laughed and tossed his drink back in one go.

Alaric was already a little drunk, having gotten there an hour before Damon had. He leaned into Damon, patting him on the back.

"We're both still single. There's got to be someone here willing to take these used cars out of the garage!"

Damon shook his head at Alaric's antics. The guy was always a hoot when he was drunk. But no, he wasn't picking up anyone here. They were too young. He wouldn't get burned again.

"Is it just me, or are the young and hip getting trashier these days?" Alaric mused when he caught a girl dancing in a skirt that was too small and tight.

Damon had to agree. He caught sight of another girl, wrapped around her boyfriend in one of the few booths this place had. She was wearing a skin tight dress, though on her it didn't look trashy. The short material showed off her mile long legs perfectly.

He quickly looked away when he realised the girl awoke something inside of him. He was NOT going there again! His next girlfriend would be well in her thirties! Maybe Alaric was right, they had gone to the wrong club.

His eyes darted over towards the girl again. He couldn't see her face but she had long, brown hair that was draped across her back in waves. She also had olive skin. The little, blood red dress hugged her shapely thighs and breasts perfectly.

Yep, Damon felt himself drawn to her. There was something about her.

"It's a little iffy to be staring at a pretty, young thing that's playing tonsil tennis with her BOYFRIEND, Damon!" Ric pulled him out of his muse.

Damon's head snapped up at his friend. He was right, what the fuck was wrong with him! He had already risked everything once, hooking up with a young girl. He wasn't doing that again!

The girl changed her angle in the kissing marathon and Damon was immediately reeled back in to her. He could not keep his eyes off of her. What was he doing here?

"You got to wonder if they're ever coming up for air, though," Ric joked next to him.

Damon paid no attention to him. This girl.. Why couldn't he stop looking at her?

When the little minx finally came up for air, Damon got the wind knocked out of him.

That girl was Elena Gilbert!

**Elena's POV**

"You taste like heaven," Elena's boyfriend Paul sighed next to her. He slipped his hand up her thigh, while kissing the column of her throat.

"You better watch were you're going with those hands, though. We're in a public place," Elena warned him with a wink.

Paul pouted at her.

"We never get any privacy! We're always in class, and at the dorm we have roommates! And now we are here, meeting your parents and they want us to sleep in your old room, right next to theirs! I'm dying here, Elena!"

Elena kissed him briefly.

"Patience. It will be worth your while."

She snuggled into her guy, breathing in his scent. Paul was great. He was a med student, just like her. He was kind, took her on nice dates, and treated her like a princess. And more importantly: he was 21 years old, so he was accepted by her father.

Grayson had been in awe of his daughter's new boyfriend. He was the perfect son in law, apparently. Paul was well mannered, spoke eloquently and was the son of a famous doctor. Daddy dearest could not have been more pleased.

Elena tried, but truth to be told, she was still missing something when she was with him. She couldn't pinpoint what, though. He seemed absolutely perfect.

They had been dating for 8 months now, having met in the library of Virginia Commonwealth. Her friends had instantly swooned over him. Yes, he was drop dead gorgeous.

Elena was on the verge of becoming frustrated with herself. He was everything she wanted and yet she always had doubts lingering in the back of her mind. But she pushed them aside. Her life was quiet and peaceful now. Everything was falling back in its place.

"You know, I think I have some competition here," Paul spoke up next to her suddenly.

Elena laid her head on his shoulder and sighed.

"What are you talking about?"

"Sweetie, there's this guy at the bar that's totally checking you out," he let her know.

Elena lifted up her head and stared into the dark and smoky club. When she came across two cobalt eyes, her heart stopped beating.

Damon Salvatore.

**Damon's POV**

Damon almost found himself growling as he caught sight of Elena all over another guy. The funny part was; he had no right to get jealous. After all, he was the one to let her go. She had every right to move on.

But as he watched this punk putting his tongue down her throat, he felt himself boil with anger. He wanted to cut off the boy's groping hands!

His Elena had filled out, from what he could tell from across the room. She was more curvaceous, her face seemed older and her hair was longer. He wanted to run his fingers through it.

All of a sudden, Elena looked right at him. He was spotted.

She hopped off her boy's lap and casually made her way over to him. O hell, he hoped she wouldn't throw another tirade at him!

"Damon. Long time no see. How have you been?"

Damon almost thought he had a hearing problem when he heard her say the words so coolly. She smiled politely at him, while waiting for his answer.

"Eh, I'm good. You?" he almost stuttered. He fucking stuttered!

She just looked so good! She was almost twenty now and she was showing it. He found himself lost in the high heels and shapely form of her body.

"I'm doing well. College life is great," she said enthused.

Damon nodded in her boy's direction.

"Yeah, I can see that."

It sounded snippier than he had meant, but he couldn't help himself.

Elena looked over her shoulder at the handsome young man, who was casually sipping a cocktail.

"Jealous?" she shot at him with an arched eyebrow.

Something stirred inside of him when she wet her bottom lip with her tongue; a feeling that he thought was dead and buried. This girl was still the death of him!

Damon shrugged his shoulders, trying to stay cool.

"It's good to see that you're doing well," he avoided her question.

Elena's face seemed to darken a bit at his answer. Maybe, just maybe, he was still getting to her.

"What about you? Still working at Mystic General?" she quickly recovered.

"Yep. I'm still a surgeon at the trauma unit."

The air went silent after that. Electricity still seemed to shoot back and forth between them. Damon found himself getting lost in her eyes.

Alaric's subtle cough brought them out of their daze.

"Well, it was good talking to you again," Damon mumbled. "Great to have you back in Mystic Falls."

Elena nodded, swallowing something.

"Yeah, you too. Maybe I'll run into you sometimes."

With those words, she turned around and went back to her boyfriend.

"Care to tell me what that was all about?" Ric asked confused.

Damon frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Alaric turned his way completely and pointed his refilled glass at him.

"This thing between you and this girl. You guys were sparking enough to start a fire," he pointed out.

Damon sat back down on his barstool and sighed.

"We slept together a few years ago," he threw out there.

Alaric spat his drink all over the bar at Damon's answer.

"You WHAT? How old is she?"

Damon cringed at that question. He had had enough judgmental reactions towards his relationship to last him a lifetime.

"Yes, she is young, Ric. No need to remind me. That's why we separated. I wanted to do the right thing and walk away."

Ric sighed.

"Your life is more screwed up than mine, buddy! I will tell you one thing, though. It isn't over between the two of you yet. Not with all that tension hanging around. I think you need to sort things out."

Damon stared at Elena from across the room..

Could he really go back there again?

When her eyes met his, he swallowed hard.

If he did this, he was the one that needed to chase her for a change. He needed to be absolutely sure he was ready to pull out all of the stops. Because winning her would be even more challenging this time….

**Elena's POV**

Elena lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Paul was snoring loudly next to her, his heavy arm draped over her midsection.

She felt off; everything felt off.

She was constantly plagued by cobalt eyes. Eyes that she had just learned to forget after a year and a half of pining. But it was all coming back to her now; the gentle touches, the hot kisses, the amazing sex..

Could she let her heart go through this again?

Paul was a safe bet. If she knew what was good for her, she needed to stay with him. She would not let the drama that was Damon Salvatore back in her life…

**Please review!**

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Hey."

Damon turned around to find Grayson Gilbert standing behind him. He had his hands shoved in the pockets of his white uniform and was looking him up and down.

"Hey," Damon replied, as he grabbed his steaming cup of coffee from the coffee machine.

It was always like this between them now. They'd greet each other and be on their way. Damon sometimes missed the playful banter between them; he missed their friendship.

"So, how have you been?" Grayson asked him politely.

Damon shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay, I guess."

He put some milk in his coffee. This moment was definitely a bit awkward.

Damon watched some people milling around in the hospital cafeteria. Oh, how he wished he could disappear in that crowd right now! He didn't feel comfortable at all. How had it managed to come to this? Their friendship had never been awkward.

"Good. Hey, listen. I understand you ran into my daughter a few nights ago?" Grayson cautiously asked.

Damon froze. There it was, the only reason Grayson was even talking to him right now; he wanted him to back off. His precious princess was back in town and he wanted to make sure the big bad wolf stayed away.

He tried to play it cool and took a sip of his coffee to calm down.

"I did, yes," was all he said to his once best friend.

Grayson bored his eyes into his. It was obvious he was going to make a point now.

"So I guess you also saw that she found someone new; someone she loves," Grayson trailed of.

Damon gulped and squeezed his cup a little tighter. Oh, he had seen her match of tonsil hockey with that clown, yes!

"I know that you two have…shared something. I would hate it if that got in the way of her newfound happiness. Paul is good for her."

Both men stared into each other's eyes for a second, the air thick around them.

"Do you really want to do this here? In the middle of a cafeteria?" Damon growled.

Grayson held up his hands in surrender.

"Hey, I'm not doing anything," he quickly said.

Damon swallowed the last of his coffee and threw the cup into a waist bin, his fists clenching at his sides. His once best friend had some nerve, rubbing his daughter's new life in his face!

"She's finally happy again, Damon. She's doing great in college and is seeing a man that I think very highly of. I just thought.. I don't know. I realize this is awkward, but I saw the way she was after you left her. I'm just so grateful that things are finally getting back to the way they were. She's smiling again; you and I manage to be civil to one another. I guess I want that. I want things back to the way they were," Grayson explained.

Damon shook his head.

"I left her because you asked me to, Gray. I made her unhappy because of you. Never forget that."

"I know and I am glad you saw things my way. Things never would have worked out between you two. She needs someone that understands what things are like at her age," Grayson said to him.

Damon felt the anger boiling inside of him.

"We understood each other just fine, Gray! It was everyone else that had a problem with it; YOU had a problem with it. My life is miserable because of YOU!"

It was out before Damon could have stopped himself. He never knew he felt this way, but now he did. He was miserable and he blamed Grayson. He blamed him for ruining his one chance at happiness.

It was a tad unfair, he knew that. After all, he was the one to make that final decision to walk away. But right now, he didn't care.

Grayson narrowed his eyes at him. He was scanning his face as if he was trying to find something.

"Are you still in love with my daughter, Damon?" he questioned him.

Damon squared his shoulders and made a move to walk away, but Grayson stopped him, blocking his path.

"I asked you a question, Damon."

Damon glared at him, clenching his jaw.

People around them began to notice the tension between them. They were eying them warily, waiting for an eruption.

"What's it to you? You are not my friend anymore. You are in complete bliss over the fact that you love your new son in law. What I think or how I feel about that should not be of any of your concern," Damon spat at him.

Damon tried to walk away again, but Grayson wouldn't let him.

"It IS of my concern, Damon. This is my daughter we're talking about. If you still have feelings for her, that would make things very complicated," Grayson cornered him.

"Complicated for you, yes. Because it might ruin the perfect little bubble you have created here. You don't want your daughter to make her own decisions; you want her to do exactly as you say. She's studying meds, she's dating a rich med student, she's just following your orders. When we were dating, she never once brought up the fact that she wanted to study medicine. I find it peculiar."

"Maybe you just don't know her anymore," Grayson threw in his face.

It was a low blow, but Damon decided to let it slide. He needed to walk away here, before he did anything stupid.

"This conversation is over," he said with finality.

He pushed Grayson out of the way and strode towards the exit. He seriously needed to leave.

"Stay away from Elena, Damon!" Grayson called after him.

That was it! He was done with the poking and prodding. If Grayson wanted to pick a fight, he had one coming. Damon whirled around on his feet and stalked back over towards Grayson, ready to pounce.

"Or you'll what? You are forgetting an important thing here. Your daughter is an adult now, free to make her own decisions. She doesn't even live under your roof anymore. There would be nothing that you could do about it. I was scared of you and your power in this hospital once. I'm not anymore. If you want to make my life a living hell, go right ahead. Because I am already miserable

without her. I loved her more than I will ever love anything in this life. But I gave her up for you, because I needed you to approve of me. I'm done with that."

With those words, Damon finally turned around and walked away…

**Elena's POV**

When Elena walked passed Mystic General on her way to the library, she felt her skin begin to tingle. It always did when Damon was near, that reaction apparently hadn't stopped. It was annoying, to say the least. She had also felt it that night in the bar, but she had just waved it off. There was no waving it off now, though.

She searched the premises until she spotted him, sitting on one of the benches in front of the hospital. He looked wrecked.

'_Do not go over there, Elena! Stay away from him!'_

Her feet apparently had a different idea, because before she knew what she was doing, she was walking over towards him. She just wanted to know if he was okay, that was all.

He looked up as she approached, his face haunted.

"Hey you," he softly said.

Elena's heart fluttered at the sound of his raspy voice. Why was that man still so sexy?

"Hey."

She gave him a weak smile, but it never reached her eyes. She had closed herself off from this man. This man would never get to her again!

"You're father is in the cafeteria, if you're looking for him," he told her.

Elena nodded, but didn't move from her spot. She had no desire to see her father right now. Instead, she sat down next to him on the bench, staring out over the grassy fields.

"You don't look so great," she informed him. "Everything all right?"

It came out cold and detached, exactly the way she wanted it. There was no need to be reminded of what she had once felt for him.

Damon sighed.

"I'm okay. Rough day."

"Hospital stuff?" Elena asked him.

"Pretty much."

They fell into silence after that. Elena felt a little on edge. Sitting down on a small bench next to him hadn't been such a good idea. She could feel his body heat through her clothes. It was intoxicating. Goose bumps were rising on her skin.

"This is weird," she finally said.

Damon turned his head to look at her.

"What is?"

Elena shrugged her shoulders.

"You and me."

She looked at Damon and watched his Adam's apple bob up and down. He hadn't shaved this morning, leaving a five o clock shadow on his skin. Facial hair on him had always attracted her like a moth to a flame. Today was no different. The air sizzled around them, as they continued to stare at each other.

Finally, Elena looked away.

"Do you ever think about us?" Damon suddenly asked.

Elena froze. She hadn't been expecting that. No, she didn't think about them! She wasn't allowed to think about them!

Her own answer surprised her, however.

"Yes."

She heard Damon sighing beside her.

"Me too. I think about us all the time. Sometimes I bury my head in the pillow you used to sleep on, to try and catch your scent. But it has faded over time. Still, I try to imagine you lying there. Your skin glowing in the morning sun, your hair fanned out around you," he whispered.

Elena jumped up from the bench, holding a hand up to stop him.

"Could we not? I mean, I don't want to go there. I never want to go there again. I found someone else now. Paul is great. I love him. And I will not go down memory lane with you. This thing between us, it's dead and buried. Leave it alone, Damon!"

He looked like someone had just taken his favourite toy and it seriously pissed Elena off!

"Why are you looking at me like that? You are the one that left ME, remember? You just don't get to go do this! It took me a long time to fix what you broke. Let me hold the pieces together here, Damon. I don't want you in my life anymore," she threw at him.

"Elena..," Damon tried.

"NO! Never again, Damon. I left you behind. You stay in the past!"

She turned around to walk away, but Damon grabbed her arm and whirled her back around, causing her face to be mere inches away from his.

"I regret my decision, Elena. I regret not standing up to your father and fighting for you. Today I did, though. I told him exactly what I thought. And I will tell you the same thing. I was scared of his power in this hospital. I was scared of what he could do to me. None of that even remotely compares to what I did to myself, though. I am miserable without you. My life is empty, it's meaningless. And I want you back. I need you."

His voice broke on the last words and she swallowed hard.

"You will not get me back. I've moved on. So should you."

With those words, she turned on her heel and almost ran from the property, tears streaming down her face…..

**A/N: I know this one is smut free. Sorry! But it couldn't happen yet. Damon needs to take his time with Elena. He needs to let her know that he means it for real this time. And hey, Damon needs to chase her a little more before the DEx can happen ;) **

**Feed my muse and hit that review button!**

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Damon sauntered across the grassy field in the town square, waiting for the promised concert to start. Today was Founder's day; Mystic Falls existed for 150 years now, so a big celebration was in order.

The small town had pulled out all the stops to make it a success. This concert promised to be a big party for the local's. And they were in luck with the weather. Damon lifted his head towards the sun, letting it shine warmly across his face.

It was his day off today, so he intended on putting it to good use. He had called his friend Alaric this morning, asking if he wanted to hang out with him at the party. Alaric had agreed immediately after Damon told him there would be beer involved.

Now, they were both making their way towards the stage, both carrying a beer.

People were sitting down on blankets they had placed on the grass. Damon felt his heart clench as he watched couples scooting closer together, snuggling into each other. He wondered if he would run into Elena today.

His last run in with her had given him some hope. Sure, she had told him that they would never be something ever again. But she had admitted that she still thought about them sometimes. And he had seen the way she had looked at him. The feelings were still there, he just needed to help them along a bit. He needed to fight for her, just like she had fought for him 2 years ago.

He took a sip of his beer and stared at the band that was just making their way across the stage. They were not very famous, but apparently they made cool music.

Someone bumped into Damon suddenly, making him spill his beer.

"Shit!" he cursed.

He looked up, only to find himself staring into Grayson Gilbert's eyes. Damn! He wanted to have fun today, he didn't want any drama.

"Damon," Grayson greeted him emotionlessly. "Sorry about that."

Damon stared at the wet stain on his shirt.

"That's all right, Gray."

Grayson nodded at him, before moving away into the crowd.

Alaric stared after him before looking at Damon.

"Damn, that was cold! You said he was once your friend?"

Damon shrugged.

"I fucked his daughter. Guess that means the friendship is over," he told him.

Alaric spit out his beer on the grass and began to cough like crazy.

"Please don't tell me that that guy is the father of the girl we ran into at the bar?"

Damon shoved his hands into his jean pockets and stared at the stage.

"Fine, I won't tell you then."

Alaric shook his head.

"Your life is like a fucked up soap opera, man! I enjoy watching it," he laughed.

The band started playing, drowning out any other noises there were. Damon was thankful; he really didn't want to talk about his life anymore. Or Elena.

"Come on. Let's move a little to the front," Damon suggested to Alaric.

They pushed through the crowd in front of them to get a better spot. Once they found it, they relaxed, enjoyed the sun, the music and their beer.

"Ah, this is what I'm talking about!" Alaric yelled excitedly.

Damon couldn't agree more. The music was incredible! It was loud and amazing rock music and in no time, people began to dance on the grassy field.

About halfway through the concert he spotted her; she was sitting on a blanket, leaning against her boyfriend. The boy had his arms wrapped around her, causing Damon to want to rip his throat out.

He took a few deep breaths to collect himself. He knew from the start that this wouldn't be easy. She wouldn't take him back without a fight. O, he would give her that fight!

He continued to watch them from the corner of his eye. Elena looked absolutely breathtaking in her sundress and curled hair. She had taken off her sandals and had her bare toes buried in the grass. Her boyfriend kept whispering in her ear, causing Elena to giggle on a few occasions.

It hurt him. It hurt him to see her with that guy or with any guy for that matter. He found himself wondering once again why he had let her go.

The music ended; the rock band took their applause and scurried off the stage to make way for a young singer.

"Thank you so much, ladies and gentlemen! Now, for all the couples among us, I'm going to sing 'With every beat of my heart' by Brian McKnight. I hope you enjoy!" the singer bellowed into the microphone.

Damon groaned. Romantic music? That was something he really couldn't take right now! He had thought this afternoon would be filled with rock music?

When the first notes were played, Damon's eyes immediately zoned in on Elena again. Only this time, she had seen him too. She was staring right back at him.

_Close your eyes_

_I don't care what other people say_

Damon's heart skipped a beat at those words. It was like it was about them. Nobody had ever approved of them. If only they had chosen to ignore them; if HE had made the right decision!

"Well shit! This is some pathetic music!" Alaric complained next to him.

But Damon paid him no attention. He and Elena were in their own private little bubble right now. Elena tried to pretend she wasn't looking at him, but failed miserably. The words got to her too.

_You take my breath away,_

_And it's been that way right from the start._

_I didn't know how to tell you that I want to love you,_

_With every beat of my heart._

Damon could see some tears rising in Elena's eyes. Her bottom lip was trembling a bit and he would have given everything right then and there to kiss her pain away. The world around him had disappeared completely now. Nothing but Elena existed. They were sucked into each other.

_Take my hand_

_Don't be afraid, don't go_

_I want you to stay_

Damon felt his throat constricting a bit. Sappy song or not, it was hitting every nerve in his body. And with the way Elena was looking at him right now..

All too soon, the song ended, breaking their private little moment. On the last note, Elena flew up from her blanket and sprinted from the town square. Damon wasn't far behind her. He left Alaric, who called after him confused.

"Elena!" he yelled after her.

She kept on running and disappeared around the corner of a building.

"Elena!"

He ran around the same corner, catching up with her at the Grill. He grabbed her arm and pushed her into the wall there, trapping her between his arms.

"Let me go!" she snarled his way.

She began pounding her tiny fists against his chest, pushing at him with all her strength. He didn't budge.

"Damon, please. Just let go of me," she tried again.

"Don't you understand that I can't? I can't let you go. I'll never let you go again," Damon choked on his words.

Elena ceased her punching and sagged against him.

"You can't do this to me. You can't push me from your life only to reel me back in! This is not fair!"

Damon wrapped his arms around her and placed his chin on top of her crown.

"I know I haven't handled us in the best way. I know that I was a jerk to you. But I'm asking for another chance here. I'm asking for you to let me back in."

Elena sighed against his chest, breathing in his familiar scent.

"Have you seen my boyfriend? I am not available anymore, Damon. You have to forget about me," she told him firmly.

Damon shook his head.

"I will never forget about you. You were too important. You ARE too important."

He leaned back to look into her eyes. Mascara was running down her cheeks from her crying, but to him she had never looked more beautiful.

"I have to go back. Leave me alone."

Elena pushed him away, successfully this time, and Damon didn't stop her. But he knew he needed one last chance here; one last chance to explain a few things to her. He needed to make her see that he was for real this time.

"Elena?" he said softly.

Elena froze mid step; her back was to him, ready to walk away. But at least she stopped. That meant not everything was lost. She turned around, a look of pain in her eyes.

"I need to get back there, Damon. People are missing me, they'll come looking for me," she told him.

Damon nodded. He understood that. If her boyfriend of her father found them there…

"Okay. But will you meet me at my apartment after the celebration? I want a chance to explain. I need you to know why I did what I did back then. After that, if you still want to walk away, I'll let you. I will accept the fact that you have moved on and you won't hear a peep out of me again. But all I need is for you to listen to me just once," he begged.

Silence filled the air around them for a moment as Elena contemplated his suggestion. Finally, she bit her lip and nodded.

Damon let out a sigh of relief and smiled at her, before she turned around and walked away….

**Elena's POV**

"Where were you?" Paul asked as soon as Elena made it back to the town square.

Elena shrugged.

"I needed to use the restroom for a second, so I went to the Grill."

Paul narrowed his eyes at her.

"But you ran off in such a hurry. You could have let me now where you were going."

"Sorry, I really was in a hurry. But I'm back. No worries," she told her boyfriend, putting a fake smile on her face.

Paul nodded and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Just tell me where you're going next time. You startled me."

Elena could feel him burying his nose in her hair and she flinched a little. Damon used to do that. He used to breath in her scent and she would always enjoy being wrapped up in his arms. Paul's hug wasn't having that effect on her right now. They way he was holding her in a bear-hug made her feel uncomfortable and a little too warm. Like she was suffocating.

Why was she feeling this way? She never felt it before, so why now?

'_Because Damon reminded you of past feelings. He is ruining the present with the past,' _her mind told her.

Had it really been a wise decision for her to agree to meet Damon after the celebration? At his apartment, no less! Where they had had tons of sex and had shared intimate things with each other.

She really had no idea what she was in for…..

"Elena. Thank you for coming. Come in," Damon told her as soon as she made it to his place.

She stepped inside with a thudding heart and looked around.

Damon had changed a few things here and there, but it was still the same apartment as 2 years ago. Her eyes shot towards the kitchen as she passed it, remembering the earth shattering sex they had had on the kitchen floor there. When she sat down on his couch, she could catch a glimpse of his bedroom and remembered the moments they had held each other in his bed.

She had been right; this was a very bad idea.

"Can I get you some coffee first?" Damon shook her out of her thoughts.

Elena's mouth set in a hard line. She needed to be stronger here; she wasn't that same naïve 16 year old anymore. She was a grown woman and she needed to hold off the force that was Damon Salvatore.

"Cut the chit chat, Damon! I'm not here for a tea party. I only came here so you could talk. So talk!" she snapped at him.

It was harsh, she knew that. But if she didn't put up some walls, she was afraid of what could happen.

She crossed her legs and placed her perfectly manicured hands on her knee, covering up the fact that her entire body was rigid.

She watched as Damon sighed at her outburst. He sat down opposite from her and took a deep breath.

"Very well, then. Yes, I wanted to talk. When we.. When you and I had something 2 years ago I always thought I was the strong one. I thought I was the one that made the wise decisions in our relationship. I held you off when I thought it was necessary. And I thought I made the right decision when I let you go. You see, I thought that in the midst of our passion, someone needed to keep a clear head and think about what was best. Turns out, you were the strong one here. You fought for me. You were the one that stood up to everything and everyone because you believed in us. You fought, I didn't."

Elena felt tears burning in her eyes. These had exactly been her feelings back then. But he was always to stubborn to see things that way. Nevertheless, he was saying all the right things right now. It was just sad he was 2 years too late.

She put her walls back up, blinking the tears away. She cleared her throat and looked at him emotionless.

"You are too late here, Damon. I appreciate you saying these things. They would have meant the world to me back then. And I'm glad we have cleared things up. But right now, you need to let me go. I have moved on. I'm not the same person I was back then," she coldly said to him.

Her heart began to pound as she watched him get up from his seat, only to sit back down next to her on the couch. He was too close now. She needed the distance.

"I know you are not the same, Elena. Hell, I'm not even the same! Otherwise I probably wouldn't be saying these things. But this thing between us…It's still palpable, Elena. Whenever you and I are in the same place together, something happens. That never stopped," he told her.

Elena swallowed hard.

He was right. There was an electrical currant going on between them right now. Their bodies were so in tune with each other, they immediately recognised each other and went into overdrive. Their hearts were beating fast, their throats were dry, their skin was tingling..

Elena flew from the couch and rushed towards the front door.

"You said everything there is to say, Damon. Now I have to go. I expect you to keep your promise and stay away from me," she said with finality.

She turned around to open the door, only to have Damon come up behind her to push it shut again. Elena's heart was in her throat. The way they were standing right now reminded her of that night 2 years ago, when they first had sex. It had started off in the exact same way, with him trapping her against the door.

She remained with her back turned towards him, trying to control her breathing.

One of Damon's hands was still on the door, blocking her path. He had placed the other one on her hip, causing a fire to shoot up in her veins.

"Damon, please," she whispered.

She felt him closing in behind her, pushing his hips against hers and burying his face in the side of her neck.

He softly began to place kisses there, while the hand on her hip began to trace circles. It made her sundress hike up a bit, exposing her creamy thigh.

"Damon…,"she breathed again.

Only this time, her resistance was fading. She pushed back into him, feeling the evidence of his arousal press into her soft rear. Her mouth opened in a silent 'o'.

"We shouldn't do this," she tried weakly one last time.

Damon licked the shell of her ear, causing her to shudder.

"You're right, we shouldn't," he agreed.

But his hand kept stroking her anyway and his lips descended towards the corner of her mouth, making her turn her head towards him.

And then his lips captured hers.

She didn't even stop him. Instead, she opened her mouth, letting his tongue in. Her body immediately remembered how good it felt to kiss him. Their tongues greeted lazily, happy to taste each other again after 2 years.

Elena lodged her arm behind his neck and angled her head sideways to deepen the kiss. Meanwhile, Damon's hands roved her torso, kneading the flesh of her belly through her sundress. He stroked up and down, going for her breasts. The movements of his hands made her dress hike up even more; she felt it lift over the curves of her ass, revealing her lacy thong to him.

"I missed you," Damon panted in her ear, once he had released her lips.

Elena couldn't even talk anymore. She could only moan in agreement.

One of Damon's hands descended again, stopping at the V between her thighs. Elena knew what he was going for and parted her legs, inviting him in. He eagerly complied.

She yelped when she felt his fingers flutter over her mound, through the fabric of her underwear. It felt so good!

She circled her hips against his erection, ready for more, when…

RING RING

Damon groaned at the interruption of her cell phone and Elena flew away from him. She dove for her purse with the ringing device and held it to her ear.

"Hello?" she said out of breath.

"Hey, sweetheart. I was just calling to let you know that your parents want to have dinner with us at the Grill tonight. Can you be back here at six?" Paul's voice could be heard through the phone.

Elena's heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she heard her boyfriend's voice. Guilt overcame her immediately. She had been THIS close to having sex with her ex! What kind of person was she?

Elena swallowed, before answering him.

"Sure. I'm leaving right now. I'll be over soon."

She hung up the phone and looked at Damon, who was casually leaning against the front door, watching her intently.

"I have to go, Damon. My parents are waiting for me," she explained.

She grabbed her purse and wanted to walk past him to open the front door. She needed to get as far away from him as she could possibly get!

But Damon wouldn't let her go just yet.

"So that's it? We almost have sex and you're not going to mention it anymore? You're just going to go back to your parents and your perfect boyfriend?" he asked a little hurt.

"I'm sorry, Damon. I.. I can't."

With those words, she pulled the door open and left Damon standing there….

**Sorry about all the angst, guys! It is almost over, though. I'm planning on making this story about 20 chapters long. So the journey is coming to an end. And I just love happy endings :)**

**If you can't wait to find out about how the happy ending will go, hit the review button!**

**Sandy**

**Feel free to follow my happy TVD and story spoiling ramblings on twitter: Sandy1983b**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

It was one of these days where Damon knew he shouldn't have gotten out of bed at all. From the moment he had stubbed his toe against the nightstand and howled out in pain, he knew it had set the standard for the rest of the day.

He had almost slipped in his bathroom, an idiot had run a red light and had almost crashed into his car and when he finally had made it to his work unscathed, the trauma unit had been bustling with activity. Apparently there had been a mega collision on the freeway.

He was up to his elbows in broken ribs, arms, legs, lacerations, severe blood loss and cracked skulls. It was enough to make his stomach turn. It reminded him of his parents. But he couldn't go there. Not yet. If he took a step back and would really take a look at what was happening around his hospital floor, he would crumble. He couldn't do that. People needed him. So he was pretty much running on auto pilot.

But there still was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind. Something was off. And no matter how hard he tried to shake it, that insistent feeling remained. It had settled itself in the pit of his stomach, making him feel sick. It stayed with him for the entire stretch of the day, stressing him out even more.

But these people needed him…

"Doctor Salvatore, someone is asking for you," a nurse behind him spoke up.

"Not now! I'm busy!" he snapped at her as he was trying to intubate a teenager, also a victim of the collision.

"Doctor Salvatore, he said it's important. He was pretty adamant about me getting you," the nurse insisted.

Damon ran a hand across his fatigued face and looked at his resident on call.

"You take over!" he ordered the young man.

The resident eagerly stepped forward, while Damon stepped out of the room and followed the nurse.

"Who asked for me?" he wanted to know.

The nurse pointed straight ahead.

When Damon spotted the pale face of Grayson Gilbert staring back at him his heart dropped. He was almost too afraid to walk over towards him. He didn't want to know. He didn't want to know why he was here, because the reason why he had had that nagging feeling all day was clear to him now.

Elena…

"I need you to come with me," was all Grayson said to him.

Damon nodded and told the nurse to get someone to cover for him. No other words were spoken. Grayson silently led Damon towards the intensive care unit.

Damon felt a ball of worry knotting itself deep inside of him and that sick feeling that he had had just quadrupled.

Something was wrong with Elena..

Grayson held still outside of her room and turned to look at him.

"I came for you because Elena is very sick. Apparently, she had pneumonia but failed to recognise the symptoms. Therefore, it became neglected and she now has sepsis. They are doing all they can," his voice cracked at his final words.

Damon swallowed hard. Sepsis was a very dangerous thing to have. And combined with pneumonia… she could die.

"She has a very high fever and is delusional. She doesn't want anything to do with me, because her mind seems to be stuck in that time were I broke the two of you up. Her boyfriend is in there now, but she doesn't seem to want to see him either. She wants you, Damon. And I will do whatever it takes to make my daughter feel better," Grayson told him brokenly.

If this had been under different circumstances, Damon would have rejoiced at Grayson's words. But he needed to focus on Elena now.

"Thank you for telling me, Gray," he whispered.

Grayson nodded.

"You need to try and calm her down. Her heart rate is through the roof and her temperature is rising. Her body will only get better if she allows herself to rest. Get her to go to sleep," he advised Damon.

"Of course," Damon said.

He grabbed onto the door handle and took a deep breath, scared of what he might find. When he walked into her room, his heart missed a beat.

She was very pale, save for her rosy cheeks. But that was due to the very high fever. Her skin was clammy and her eyes were hollow. Her hair was matted to her head, because she kept rolling it from side to side on her pillow.

His eyes took in the needles that were stuck into the skin of her hand, probably antibiotics and intravenous fluids. His eyes widened when he saw that she was desperately trying to pull them out.

The heart monitor on the wall was loud in his ears; her heart was beating way too fast. She really needed to calm down!

"Elena, sweetie. You need to stop that. We are trying to make you feel better. You need to rest," Elena's boyfriend said to her.

What was his name again? Paul? Damon couldn't remember.

"Go away," Elena's weak voice cried. "Where's Damon? I want Damon!"

Damon thought he hadn't heard her right. But there it was. She was calling out for him; Grayson had been right. She didn't seem to want anyone but him.

Paul looked up at him as he saw him approaching, obviously confused as to who he was. But Damon didn't give a damn about proper introductions right now! His Elena needed him.

"I'm right here, baby," he answered Elena's plea, ignoring Paul completely.

He walked up to her bed and slowly grasped her small hand in his. Her head turned to the sound of his voice.

"Damon?" she asked in wonder.

Damon smiled and leaned forward to kiss the top of her head. He frowned when he felt how hot she was. She was burning up.

"Damon, I need you," Elena began to cry.

Her frail hand clutched his white coat and she weakly pulled him to her. Damon smiled at the action.

He looked up to see Paul still standing there in an awkward manner, biting his lip.

"You need to leave this room," Damon instructed.

Paul shook his head frantically.

"No, I…"

"Leave, before I'll have hospital security throw you out!"

Damon knew he wasn't being reasonable here. He was using his power as a doctor to get what he wanted. But he just didn't care.

The boy took one look at the doctor's license that was hanging from his coat and immediately turned on his heel and left. Good riddance!

"Damon, I can't see you," Elena's small voice shook him out of his musings.

Damon smiled and leaned forward a bit, directly into her line of sight.

"How can you not see me? I'm the hottest thing in this room. O wait, I guess at the moment you are hotter," he tried to joke.

Elena didn't smile. She seemed to become frantic again, clutching his coat with both of her hands now.

"We have to leave, Damon! My father knows about us. We have to run so we can be together!"

Damon looked up at the heart monitor, watching it flare up. She was getting worked up. This was not good!

He stroked some hair back from her forehead, hoping his cool touch would calm her down.

"You don't have to worry about your father, baby. He's right outside and he's okay with the fact that I'm here."

Elena's eyes widened.

"He's outside? I have to hide, Damon! Maybe I can hide under your bed," she rambled.

Damon wanted to cry at her being so out of it. She was obviously back at that afternoon Grayson had caught them in his apartment. She tried to crawl out of bed and started pulling on her IV needles again.

Damon immediately grabbed her hands to stop her actions. He realised that if he ever wanted her to relax, he needed to play along with her.

"Don't hide, sweetheart. I'll get rid of him," he told her.

He remained quiet for a second so she would think that he was at the door, getting rid of her father. He even went as far as walking towards the door. A few seconds later, he walked back to her fragile form.

"You can relax now. He's gone."

Elena was still lying there with wide eyes.

"He is? But we still have to leave, Damon! He knows!" she almost yelled now. "He knows and he will make you leave me. You can't leave me!"

Damon's heart broke in that instant. All of her secret pains and frustrations of that time were flaring forward now. He realised just how much he had hurt her by leaving her behind. It still plagued her.

He crawled onto her bed and gently took her in his arms.

"I'll never leave you, baby. Don't you know how much I love you? We'll stick through this together. We will make your father see, okay? He'll see that we belong together. Nothing on earth is going to come between us. I'll make sure of that."

Elena turned her head so she could look up at him with her big brown eyes. Tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"You promise?" she whispered.

Damon felt himself break. His own tears were pushed to the forefront and he didn't even bother to hide it. His girl was in danger.

"I promise. But then you also have to make me a promise. You have to get better, okay? I won't leave you if you won't leave me. If you leave me, I don't know what I would do," he cried.

Elena smiled up at him.

"Of course I won't leave you, silly! Why would I do that?"

Damon took a deep breath and placed her head against his chest, kissing the top of it.

"If you don't calm down and rest, you will leave me. I am the doctor here, I know these things. You have to get some sleep. Lots of it. So your medicines can work," he ordered her.

Elena remained quiet against his chest for a second, her hot cheek burning against him. She seemed to be thinking it over.

"Okay," she finally said. "But will you be there when I wake up?"

The question sounded so scared and frail, Damon had to swallow back an enormous lump.

"I'll be here when you wake up. I promise. I will not leave this room until you do."

Elena shifted a bit so she could look up at him again.

"I love you, Damon," she whispered.

A sob escaped Damon's throat.

"I love you too, baby."

Elena smiled at him and then settled against his chest, ready to go to sleep.

Damon watched her as her breathing slowed, her face becoming more peaceful and relaxed. He eyed the heart monitor like a hawk, satisfied as her heartbeat finally calmed down and settled into a normal rhythm again.

He held her for a long time, until he realised he needed to tell her parents that she was calm now. She wasn't out of the woods yet, but it was a small step in the right direction.

He slowly crawled out from under her and walked over towards the door.

Miranda, Paul and Grayson all jumped up when he came out.

"How is she?" Grayson wanted to know.

"She's asleep now."

A huge sigh of relief could be heard.

"Thank you, Damon," Miranda said, as she quietly opened Elena's door.

"You're welcome. Let me know when she wakes up. I promised her I would be there," Damon told her.

Miranda nodded and went in.

"Paul, could you run to the hospital cafeteria and grab us something to eat? We could all use some right now," Grayson told Elena's boyfriend.

Paul nodded and quickly scurried off, while Damon sat down next to Grayson.

"I am the worst doctor and father ever!" he suddenly blurted out, tears coming out of his eyes.

Damon frowned at his outburst.

"Why would you think that?"

"Because as a doctor, I should have known that my daughter had pneumonia! I should have done something!" Grayson sobbed.

Damon's hand automatically went up to his shoulder in a comforting gesture, squeezing it a bit.

"Your daughter doesn't live with you anymore, Gray. She only comes home during the weekends. Besides, she is an adult. You can't watch her 24/7. You are not to blame here, man."

"I don't see her a lot because I'm always pushing her away. That's it, Damon. When she is with us during the weekends, she hardly lets me know what's going on inside of her head. She is polite, yes. But mostly, she just runs off because of the strained relationship we have now. You see, this is my fault. I should have been there for her when I learned about you two. Instead, I was an asshole. Because of that, I am paying the price now."

Damon shook his head.

"You are not being punished, Gray. We were both mad at you, yes. But you don't deserve this," he told him.

Grayson buried his head in his hands.

"She's still in love with you, you know," he mumbled.

Damon felt his breath leaving him in a whoosh. Sure, she had told him she loved him in that hospital room. But she had been heavily drugged and completely delirious. Who knew if anything she said was really true.

"And you are still in love with her. I can see it. Don't try to deny it," Grayson continued.

Damon let the silence speak for itself.

"God, I've been so stupid! Pushing her into the arms of a boy she does not love. She gets sick and the first thing she asks for is you. It was a real eye opener for me. In spite of the age difference, you two really love each other. This isn't just some fling. This isn't some thrill to know what it's like to date an older man or a younger girl. This is love."

Damon swallowed back the tears threatening to spill. These were words he had been dying to hear for a very long time. He had missed his friend. It seemed like he was coming back now.

"I want you to know, if Elena gets through this, you two have my blessing. Be happy with each other. I'll stay out of it from now on," Grayson promised.

Damon couldn't hold back anymore. He wrapped his arms around the man and gave him a firm hug. And luckily, Grayson hugged him back.

"I've missed you, man," Damon told him.

"I've missed you too."

Damon could almost smile now. He had everything he had ever wanted within arm's reach. Almost. Because Elena still needed to pull through and tell him that she wanted to be with him too….

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	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The beeping sound of something had Elena slowly waking up. She turned her head in the direction of the annoying noise and cracked an eyelid open, surprise marring her features when she spotted a heart monitor next to her on the wall.

Was she in a hospital?

She raised a hand to rub her eyes, but stopped mid air as she noticed the needles stuck into the skin of her hand.

What was going on? Why was she here?

She tried to remember what might have gone down. Blurry visions about chest pains and high temperatures came to her mind, but other than that, she wasn't sure.

She turned her head away from the heart monitor and looked around the room. Her heart missed a beat as her eyes landed on the sleeping figure sitting in a chair next to her bed. His hair was a mess on top of his head, as if he had run his hand through it a thousand times, his face was pale and hollow and even though he was asleep, he didn't look relaxed at all. He kept twitching. His head had rolled back, making a painful kink in his neck.

"Damon," Elena whispered in shock.

He looked so broken that she wanted to reach out to him to stroke his cheek, but she refrained. She didn't want to wake him, because quite frankly, she didn't know what to say to him. They had hurt each other so much. Could they ever go back to having a normal, decent conversation with each other?

Damon chose that precise moment to open his eyes with a groan, obviously in pain from sleeping in an awkward position in the chair. He sat up and his eyes focused on her.

Elena stared back at him, watching his eyes widen as he noticed that she had roused from her sleep.

"Elena! Thank god you're awake! How do you feel?" he blurted out.

He shot up from his seat and came to stand by her side.

Elena shrugged.

"Weird. Tired. Kind of like a truck ran over my body. But other than that I'm fine," she told him.

Damon held a hand to her forehead, checking out her temperature. The simple touch made Elena's heartbeat flare up a bit and she became embarrassed when it showed on the heart monitor.

Damn! She couldn't hide a single thing right now.

Luckily, Damon was too preoccupied with things to notice.

"Your fever broke. Your temperature is fine," he sighed in relief.

He sat down next to her on the bed and examined her frail form with his eyes, making sure that her body was recovering.

"Why am I here, Damon?" Elena asked him.

Damon's relieved smile fell, as if he was disappointed she didn't remember some things. But Elena wasn't sure. He covered up his disappointment fairly quick and put his smile back in place.

"Apparently, you had pneumonia. But you never noticed it and it became neglected. You ended up with blood poisoning," he explained.

Elena nodded. That explained the memories about chest pains. But that seemed to be gone now. She seemed to be getting better.

"How am I doing now?" she wanted to know.

"You look like you are doing a lot better. But I'm not a specialist on these things. I'm just a trauma surgeon," he joked. "I'll go and get someone that can examine you."

Damon got up from her bed and left the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts….

"Well, Miss Gilbert. I am glad to see you are doing so well. The antibiotics seemed to have done their work. You still need to stay here for a few more days so we can finish the treatment. But I can safely say that you will make a full recovery," her doctor told her after her examination.

Elena smiled. She couldn't wait to go home again.

The doctor filled out some things on her chart and then left the room. No sooner had he closed the door, when Damon poked his head around the corner.

"Elena, someone is here to see you," he announced.

Elena nodded and sat up in bed, waiting for whoever wanted to visit her.

Grayson Gilbert stepped through the doorway, closing the door behind him as he went. He walked up towards her and suddenly pulled her into a hug.

"Oh sweetheart, I am so relieved that you're okay," he whispered brokenly.

Elena hugged him back a little awkwardly. This was not the way their relationship had been lately. Signs of affections had been rare in the past 2 years.

Grayson released her and sat down on her bed, softly picking up her hand and holding it in his own. Tears began to stream down his face as he watched her. It startled Elena a little. She hardly ever saw her father cry.

"I've been such a fool! I can't believe it took something this serious to make me realise it! I love you, Elena. And I will never interfere with your life ever again. You deserve to be happy with your own choices. I made you miserable. You suffered because of me. I will never forgive myself for that," Grayson cried.

Elena's heart clenched in her chest. She gently raised her free hand to softly touch his face.

"Don't cry, Daddy. I'm all better now."

Grayson turned his head to press a kiss to the palm of her hand.

"I promise you that I'll be a better father. I will do whatever it takes to make you smile again."

"You're not a bad father. You do make me smile," Elena reassured him.

"But I took away the one thing that mattered the most. You probably don't remember the things you said while you were sick. And I'm sure your stubborn streak is firmly back in place now, so you are going to deny it. But you still love Damon, sweetheart. My heart broke for you when you cried out for him in absolute desperation. You were so sick and you didn't want anyone but him."

Elena's heart skipped several beats at her father's words. She had cried out for Damon?

"He's the only one that got you to calm down. I'll be forever grateful for that."

Elena's mind went into overdrive. Her subconciousness had reached out for Damon? Not Paul?

She began to feel a little light headed.

"Whatever you decide to do, honey. Whoever you decide to choose, you will have my support," her father told her.

Elena nodded, a little overwhelmed by all the things that were happening.

"I'll let you rest now. I'll come back later."

Grayson stepped away from her bed and walked over towards the door. He turned around one last time when he had reached it.

"I love you, Elena. Never forget that."

Elena wanted to cry at his words. It had been so long since they had talked like this. Since they had expressed their feelings.

"I love you too, Daddy," she choked.

Grayson smiled at her. He then opened the door and stepped out of her room…

"I am telling you that I am fine! When will I be allowed to go home? I'm bored!" Elena snapped at her family.

Miranda Gilbert chuckled.

"I see that your attitude is back, so that means you really are doing better. But the doctor insisted that you stay two more nights. We are not going to argue with him, honey. We don't want a relapse."

Elena scowled at her mother.

She was getting tired of these four walls. If she wasn't released from this dreadful place soon, she would scream!

"Visiting hour is almost over, sweetheart. And I need to get back to work. Try to hang in there. We'll be here again tomorrow," Grayson announced.

Elena crossed her arms over her chest and pouted like a little girl.

"Although that pout always reeled me in when you were little, it's not going to work now. This is for your own good," her father laughed at her actions.

Miranda leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight, honey. I'll see you tomorrow."

Elena sighed as her family left. She grabbed the remote to see if anything good was on TV. After a few minutes, she gave up.

This place was hopeless!

She flopped her head down on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. Becoming sick had really been insightful. It had fixed her relationship with her father and it had opened her eyes to certain things. She had broken things off with Paul two days ago, realising that she didn't love him enough. Unfortunately she didn't get a chance to speak to Damon yet.

That was something that pissed her off! Here she was, finally realizing that she still felt things for him and he was hiding from her!

According to her father, the trauma unit had been very crowded during these past few days and Damon could barely get away. But apparently, he always inquired about her condition. She just wished he would ask her how she was doing himself.

Elena tried to go to sleep, but with all the resting she had been doing this past week, her body seemed to be done with it. Maybe if she went for a walk, her body would become tired.

She climbed out of bed and made it to the hallway. It instantly made her feel better. She hated being in bed for so long.

She actually had no idea where she was going, she just kept on walking.

When she spotted a sign, indicating that she was close to the trauma unit, she decided that it wouldn't hurt to see if Damon was there. If Mohammed wouldn't come to the mountain…

The trauma unit indeed seemed to be bustling with activity. People were running around like crazy and were yelling to each other.

She spotted him immediately.

He was giving out orders to a young resident, when his eyes landed on her. Surprise marred his features at the sight of her. He quickly finished his conversation with the young doctor and walked over towards her.

"What are you doing out of bed? You're supposed to be resting!" he chastised her.

Elena shrugged.

"I seem to be done resting. I've come to the point where I just can't rest anymore. My body needs some action," she told him.

Damon looked over his shoulder to catch the attention of a nurse that was standing close to them.

"Isabelle, I'm going to take a break. I need to bring this patient back to her room."

The nurse nodded and Damon grabbed Elena's upper arm, taking her back to bed.

"Why didn't you come to see me?" Elena asked him as soon as she crawled back under the covers.

Damon seemed to freeze a little.

"I'm sorry. I've been busy in trauma," he explained.

Elena nodded, the tension very present in the room.

Damon helped her get settled in bed, before turning around to leave the room.

"Damon, please. Don't go. I really need to talk to you."

Damon held still at the door.

"I really have to get back, Elena," he said without turning around.

Elena's face fell in disappointment.

"Please. It will only take a minute. I just need to say something," she pleaded.

Damon sighed, before turning around and pulling up a chair next to her bed.

"Thank you. Listen, I know some things went down when I was sick; things that I don't remember. But my father clued me in on the way I was," Elena started.

Damon nodded, but he seemed to have put up a wall. He seemed… detached. It scared Elena. Did he stop feeling things for her? Was it really over this time?

She worked up the courage to continue anyway.

"Even though I don't remember, it still made me realise something when my father told me how I cried out for you. I've been in absolute denial. When you left me two years ago, I wanted nothing more than to move on. I thought I had. I put you in the back of my mind, started med school and dated a guy who I thought was perfect for me. When I saw you again a few weeks ago, I pretended that you were nothing but a bad memory. I was stubborn, pigheaded and so obviously still in love with you. But I refused to see it."

Damon's face seemed to light up suddenly. His eyes bored into hers, searching her soul. It made Elena a little breathless.

"I broke up with Paul, Damon. Because I now know that I love you. I will always love you. There is nothing that can change that."

Damon stayed quiet for a second, his mouth opening and closing in utter shock. But then he flew forward, smashing his lips into hers with a passion so consuming, Elena felt the wind being knocked out of her.

When Damon pulled back she put a hand to his cheek, smiling up at him.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear those words. When you woke up and didn't remember what you had said to me, I thought I had lost. You would go back to Paul and never speak to me in that way again. That's why I kept my distance. I didn't want to be broken again," he confessed.

Elena pulled him down, pressing another kiss to his lips before making a promise.

"You have me, Damon. And I will never hurt you again. I love you so much."

Damon touched his forehead to hers.

"I love you too, baby."

Elena smiled.

"I love it when you call me 'baby'," she told him.

Damon chuckled at that.

"I'm glad, because you'll have to get used to it. You'll be hearing it a lot more in the future," he winked. "Now go to sleep. I'm serious."

Elena used her pout on him.

"There is no way I'm going to fall asleep in this boring room all by myself. Maybe if you held me…,"she suggested.

Damon rolled his eyes.

"I see I still have to develop some immunity towards your blackmailing ways. Fine, I'll hold you. But only if you promise to try and go to sleep. No funny business," he warned her.

Elena looked at him with fake shock written on her face.

"Would I ever do that?" she gasped.

Damon took off his doctor's coat, before reaching down to take off his shoes.

"Yes, you would. Now scoot over."

Elena bit her lip, looking up at him coyly.

"Would you mind taking off your shirt first? I love skin to skin contact."

"Elena..," Damon protested.

"It's more comfortable, Damon. I hate itchy shirts," she stated.

Damon sighed.

"Fine. But I'm not taking off my pants!"

Elena ogled him with hungry eyes as he took off his shirt, watching his muscles flex with his movements. His chest was still exquisite. That hadn't changed in those two years.

She made room for him in bed, pleased with herself as he settled in and put her head on his chest.

"Now go to sleep, baby. I'll visit you first thing in the morning," he promised.

Elena leaned up to smile at him, before pulling her hospital gown over her head in one swift movement, leaving her in nothing but her panties.

"Elena..," Damon growled in warning.

"Skin to skin contact, Damon. That's all," she said, before pressing her breasts into his side and snuggling into the crook of his neck.

"I still feel like I'm being tricked here."

Elena smiled against his skin.

"I think you are," she revealed, before letting her hands wander down over his chest.

She began to nibble on his earlobe, occasionally licking the shell of his ear. She could feel him shudder beneath her.

"Elena, this is not a good idea. You are still recovering. Plus, we are in a hospital. Anyone could walk in," he weakly protested.

Elena leaned up to lick across the seam of his lips.

"Isn't that the appeal? You never thought about doing it in a hospital bed?" she breathed.

Damon softly moaned.

"Honestly, no. Not until this very moment."

Elena chuckled, before kissing around the area of his nipple.

"I'm glad to be your first then."

She took the nipple in her mouth, shutting him up completely. She laved at it with attention, before making her way down his chest, kissing and nipping at his skin as she went.

"Don't overexert yourself," Damon groaned.

Elena sat up to remove his pants, kissing every patch of skin that she exposed, before finally tossing the garment, along with his boxers, on the floor.

"I missed this. I missed you," she breathed, lying back on top of him, pressing her breasts into his chest.

They stared into each other's eyes for a second, reaching out for each other's souls. Elena felt her heart soar at the knowledge that she was whole again. He was her missing link, her other half. No matter the age difference, no matter the judgement from the world outside, they belonged together. It had been one hell of a journey and this was only the beginning.

Elena disappeared beneath the blankets, focussing on her target; his hardness. She grasped it in her hand, pumping it a bit, before leaning down to lave at the head.

She heard Damon squeak a bit above her, urging her to go on.

She didn't need to be told twice. She began to pump him in her hand, while taking the head into her mouth. She sucked it gently, massaging his length with her tongue.

Damon shuddered underneath her administrations. She felt him bury his hands in her hair, locking her in place.

"Damn, Elena! That's.. so good!"

Elena prided herself in reducing him to a moaning mess and upped her effort on his cock. She bobbed her head up and down, taking in more and more of his length on every downward motion. One hand was still pumping him, while the other massaged his thigh.

She began to moan around his girth, causing his hips to surge upwards into her mouth with the vibrations it caused.

He suddenly hauled her up so she was facing him again, staring at her with wild eyes.

"Enough," he told her.

Elena pouted again.

"Don't give me that look! I want to be inside of you when I come."

He rolled them over so he was on top of her.

"Why can't I be on top?" Elena began to protest.

Damon rolled his eyes.

"Some other time, baby. You are still recovering. Let me do all the work," he winked.

His hand slid down to tease her sex, flicking her clit. Elena threw her head back, gasping for breath.

"Let me know if it becomes a strain. I don't want to hurt you," Damon told her.

Elena glared at him.

"I'm not going to break, Damon! Now get the hell inside of me, before I really do hurt you!" she snapped.

Damon chuckled.

"Yep, your attitude is definitely back!"

Before Elena had time to retort, he slid all the way inside of her, shutting her up completely. It was like they had never been apart. Her body welcomed him home, weeping with the joy he brought her.

When he began to move, it was everything she remembered and more. He hit all the right spots, making her limbs tremble in ecstasy. She wrapped her legs around his waist, clinging onto him while he slid even deeper inside of her.

"Yess! That's it! Don't stop!" Elena found herself moaning.

"Keep it down, honey. We're still at the hospital," he groaned back at her.

Elena had almost forgotten about that. She opened her eyes to look down at them rocking the hospital bed together. It was the hottest thing she had ever seen.

She looked at Damon's face to see he had his eyes closed in concentration, beads of sweat covering his brow.

"Look at me. Open your eyes, Damon," she told him.

She put a hand up to his cheek to get his attention and he finally opened his beautiful blue orbs, gazing down at her with a look of hazy and lustful passion. He was close, she could tell.

It was the most erotic thing ever, to have a man lock eyes with you during sex. She could watch every emotion, every pleasure come across his face.

She kept her hand on his cheek as they rounded up on completion together and finally, they both toppled over the edge.

Afterwards, she snuggled into his warm embrace, letting her fatigue wash over her at long last…

**A/N: I can't believe this story has come to an end. It has been such a journey for me. It got over the hate it initially received and went on to receive over 600 reviews! I want to thank you all for that. If this chapter is well received, I will write you an amazing epilogue, so keep those reviews coming ;) **

**Thanks to Mollie (EverythingBasedOnMe) and Tanischa for giving me the idea for the ****hospital bed sex ;) **

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	20. Chapter 20

Epilogue

Damon awoke to the feeling of his loins being on fire. He groaned loudly, trying to contemplate what was happening. A warm, wet cavern was closed tightly over his shaft and his hips pushed into the sensational feeling on their own accord.

He opened his eyes to slits, peering down at a wonderful vision between his legs. This beautiful woman was on her knees, holding his thighs apart with her hands, while her head bobbed up and down with the actions of her mouth. She had pushed her long, brown hair to one side. It cascaded over her shoulder and tickled the flesh of his thigh.

"Elena,"he whispered almost pained.

She looked up at him, her mouth never leaving his cock. She gave it a long lick, before engulfing him back between her lips, taking him all the way down her throat.

"Fuck!"he hissed.

He clenched his eyes shut again, the feeling too overwhelming.. too good.

He felt her sliding those heavenly lips back up and enclosing around his head, before sucking ferociously. His balls stirred in his ball sack, indicating that he would come soon if she kept this up. But suddenly she was gone; the warmth of her sweet mouth now being missed by his aching and shivering member.

What was she…?

Before he could even finish that thought, the slick warmth was back again, but this time it wasn't her mouth on him. She had seated herself on top of him, her sex squeezing him deliciously. His eyes flew open and he looked up at her in alarm.

"Elena, no!"he cried out.

Elena arched her eyebrows, frowning at him.

"No?"she questioned.

She tried to move on him, but his hands steadied themselves on her hips, stopping her.

"You know what the doctor said,"he groaned.

He wanted to. Lord, he wanted it! But they couldn't..

"The doctor said it's fine."

Damon shook his head frantically.

"He said we had to wait six weeks. It hasn't been six weeks yet!"

Elena chuckled.

"He also said that I would know if my body was ready again; when it would be healed. I'm more than ready for this, Damon,"she said huskily.

To prove her point, she squeezed her inner muscles on him. Hard.

He choked.

"Move, Damon!"his gorgeous girl ordered.

"No, baby. I still think we have to wait six weeks."

Elena began to scowl at him.

"Are you an OBGYN? No! A trauma surgeon doesn't know these things. I know my body, Damon. We can have sex,"she tried convincing him.

Damon tried to control his breathing. He was THIS close to throwing her down on this bed and fucking her brains out.

"Elena..,"he began to protest again.

"Damon fucking Salvatore! If you don't fucking move within the next few seconds, I'm never having sex with you again for as long as I live!"Elena screeched.

Damon felt himself snapping. He grabbed onto her hips harshly and pushed upwards, making Elena moan loudly.

"Like that?"he teased her.

"Yess!"she hissed above him.

Damon began a steady rhythm, thrusting up into her scorching heat. Damn, it had been so long! He knew they wouldn't last long.

He looked up at her bouncing on top of him, her full breasts swaying with their movements. He still couldn't believe this beautiful woman was his; that her parents finally accepted them and they were free to be happy together. He was never letting her go again.

"Damon, I'm close,"Elena panted above him.

He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her down on the bed. He hooked her legs over his arms, making him penetrate her walls even deeper and he felt his eyes roll to the back of his head. Their hips smacked loudly against each other.

Damon felt his balls draw up, signalling his release. He wanted her with him, so his hand slipped between their bodies, teasing her clit.

Elena went off like a firecracker, screaming out her release in pure ecstasy. Her legs clamped around his waist as her back bowed from the bed. Damon wasn't far behind her. Her inner muscles milked him and his seed ripped from his loins, coating her womb.

"Damn."

Damon was now lying beside her on his stomach, his head buried in the pillow beneath him. He cracked an eyelid open at her.

"Damn is right,"he agreed with her.

Elena giggled a bit.

"I knew I would be able to convince you."

She almost stuck her tongue out at him.

Damon raised himself up on his elbows, giving her a once over.

"How do you feel?"he asked worriedly.

Elena winked at him.

"Thoroughly ravished."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know what you meant, Damon. I already told you I was ready for this. I'm fine,"Elena reassured him.

Damon breathed a sigh of relief.

"Next time put a condom on me, though. Unless you want to add more to the family,"he winked.

Elena curled up against him.

"Forgetting condoms really is a thing with us, isn't it?"she chuckled. "But yes, I want as many babies as possible with you."

They stared at each other, the deep feelings they had for one another reflected in their eyes. But the moment was interrupted by a loud wail, coming from the bedroom next door.

Damon grinned.

"Right on cue."

He slipped from their bed and put on some boxer-briefs. He then walked over towards the crying sound.

"Hey, little girl. What's all the fuss about?"Damon cooed to his infant daughter, lying in her crib.

Her little fists where waving angrily in the air.

Damon carefully picked her up and placed her small and fragile body to his naked chest. Her crying ceased a bit as she snuggled closer to him. It tugged at his heartstrings. To know that he was responsible for such a tiny human being still amazed him. She was born 5 weeks ago and was still very new to this world.

She was so sweet and beautiful and he cringed to think about what this little rascal would put him through in the future; how many boys he would have to kill. If she would turn out as seductive as her mother…

He shook the thought from his head. For now, she was still his innocent little angel.

Her little mouth rooted for his finger and began to suck it softly.

"Ah, you're hungry. Sorry, sweetheart. I can't help you with that. Let's go and find your mother, shall we?"

He carried his daughter back towards his bedroom, bumping into his 4 year old grumpy son on the way over. He was dragging his teddy behind him, his eyes still half closed.

"Stupid baby,"he muttered.

Damon laughed.

Adam was never particularly cheerful in the mornings and adding a newborn baby who always woke up early to that mix only made it worse.

"Don't talk about your sister like that, Adam,"Damon chastised.

"She always wakes me up!"the little boy pouted.

"She's just hungry. She'll settle down when Mommy feeds her."

Adam nodded, not really interested.

"Mommy also made me wake up,"he continued to grumble as they both sauntered into the master bedroom, where Elena had already freshened up a bit and was now waiting for her family in her robe.

"Good morning, sweetie. How did I wake you up?"Elena greeted her son.

Adam climbed on the bed, where Elena was sitting, and gave a big yawn.

"You were screaming. Where you having a bad dream, Mommy?"

Damon tried to stifle a hard laugh that threatened to escape his lips, while Elena stared at her son with a horrified expression.

Adam had heard them this morning.

"Eh, yes. I was having a bad dream. But Daddy made it all better,"Elena salvaged the situation, giving Damon a wink.

"Looks like you're going to have to learn to be a bit more quiet, baby,"Damon whispered in her ear, while he handed their daughter over to her.

Elena stuck her tongue out at him.

She pushed her robe to the side and allowed the baby to latch onto her nipple. She drank eagerly.

"That's gross! Why can't Norah drink from a cup, like I do?" Adam wanted to know.

Damon ruffled his son's black hair.

"She's too young. All baby's either drink from their mother or from a bottle. If she would drink from a cup she would spill everything,"he explained.

Adam stared at his baby-sister, who was now calm and peaceful in Elena's arms.

"I want her to be bigger, so I can play with her and tell her to be quiet in the morning,"he told his parents.

"She'll be bigger soon. You can be her big brother and teach her things,"Damon said.

Adam's eyes lit up.

"I can?"

Both Damon and Elena nodded.

Adam looked over at his little sister again and smiled. He then leaned forward and gave her a big, plopping kiss on her forehead.

Damon sat back in a chair and watched his family. He really had it all. His forbidden love had turned into his other half; his wife and mother to his children. He had fought so hard against her charm, but for once he was glad he lost a battle.

He was now 44 and Elena was 29. Nobody cared about their age difference anymore. Everybody accepted that they belonged together. They married five years ago. Adam was born a year later. He was never going to let anything come between them again.

"We'd better hurry up. Grandma Miranda and Grandpa Grayson are coming over soon. Remember Adam? Grandpa is going to take you and Daddy fishing,"Elena reminded them.

"Yay!"Adam squealed.

He bounded from the bed and hurried back towards his bedroom to get ready.

Elena shook her head.

"Do you think he'll grow out of his 'fish' phase soon?"she asked Damon.

Adam was obsessed with anything related to fish. It started a few months ago, after watching 'The little mermaid.' Damon suspected his son to have a crush on Ariel and was hoping to catch her whenever they went fishing. It was hilarious.

"Hey, you sat him down in front of that movie. You are to blame,"he told his wife.

Elena rolled her eyes at him…

At the end of the day, Adam caught plenty of fish with the aid of his father, but pouted when Ariel was nowhere to be seen. Still, he was happily telling stories at the dinner table about how cool he had been and was not afraid of a few flopping fish.

Everybody laughed.

Afterwards, Miranda and Elena cleaned up and gushed about the baby, while Grayson and Damon sat down in the living room. Adam was tucked against his father's side, trying to stay awake to watch cartoons, but failing miserably.

Damon smiled down at his nodding head.

"You're good with him,"Grayson told him.

Damon looked up at his friend and father-in-law.

"Thank you. I do my best."

"You and Elena really convinced everybody that age ain't nothing but a number. I look at you two now and I don't see the age difference anymore. I see a man and a woman, very much in love. You bring out the best in each other. I'm happy you're the man she wound up with. I couldn't think of anyone better for my daughter."

Damon swallowed back the lump that was forming in his throat.

"And I'm glad that I have you for a father-in-law,"he said.

Grayson chuckled.

"Father-in-law makes me sound so old! Just call me your bud."

Damon's eyebrows shot up.

"I thought you said age ain't nothing but a number?"he teased his friend.

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up!"

Damon laughed heartily.

"So how are things going work related?"Grayson wanted to know.

"I've cut back on my hours. I want to be there more for my family. The hospital is lenient. I don't want to go back to the life where the hospital is my first home."

Grayson nodded.

"And Elena?"

"I think she's got her dream job now. She loves writing, so the fact that her book got published is beyond exciting for her. Book sells are going great. She will start working on her second book in a few weeks. The publishing company gave her three more weeks of maternity leave. Besides, she can work from home. It's really great for her,"Damon explained.

When Elena told her parents she was dropping out of med school, they weren't happy. But they understood it wasn't what she wanted out of life. And after almost losing her that day at the hospital, they wanted to do everything in their power to make their little girl happy and live her dream life. So now here they were.

"I'm glad things are working out for you,"Grayson smiled.

Later that night, after Grayson and Miranda had gone home and the children were asleep, Damon curled himself around Elena, thinking he was indeed a very lucky man. This all could have blown up in his face. He could have lost his true love, his best friend and his job. But he didn't.

Instead, he had gained a lot of things. He had met Alaric, who was still an important factor in his life. He had discovered new things about his once forbidden fruit and was rewarded with this beautiful family he married into.

As he buried his nose in Elena's hair, he drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face…

**AN: So this is really it. The end of Forbidden Fruit. I hope the ending was to your liking. This story was and will always be my baby. I worked hard on it. Please review. Did I mention it is my birthday today? Lots of reviews would really be a spectaculair birthday present. ;) Thank you all for reading!**

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


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